A Lima man accused of having sexual contact with three young girls from 2019 to 2020 was sentenced Thursday in Allen County Common Pleas Court.
35-year-old Matthew Smith was sentenced to life in prison after the judge returned guilty counts on all 26 charges in his case. Smith was found guilty of 17 counts of rape, five counts of sexual battery, and four counts of gross sexual imposition.
Judge Jeffrey Reed proceeded to sentencing after reading the verdicts. The five sexual battery charges were merged with the rape charges for sentencing. Judge Reed placed sentences in the three cases that Smith faced.
He received 25 years to life in the first case, and then life without parole for the remaining two. Smith will also need to register as a tier 3 sex offender.
According to an indictment, the sexual acts from the charges occurred from March 2019 to September 2020. The victims' ages at the time ranged from eight to thirteen years old.
