The trial begins for a Lima man who is accused of having sexual contact with three young girls. 35-year-old Matthew Smith is facing multiple charges of rape, gross sexual imposition, and sexual battery.
At the start of the trial, they reduced the number of charges Smith was facing from 83 to 26. Members of the Lima Police Department testified first to talk about how their investigation started, and videos and photos found on two cellphones that were discovered during a search warrant of Smith’s home.
According to the indictment, the sexual acts in the charges occurred from March 2019 to September 2020. The victims' ages range from 8 to 13 years old at the time of the alleged sexual assaults. The oldest of the victims, who is 15 now, took the stand to talk about the abuse she suffered from Smith. She said that Smith made threats to her to compel her to have sex and perform sexual acts with him. The offenses happened in numerous places around the Lima area.
“No matter where they went the abuse followed them,” says Joe Everhart, Allen Co. Asst. Prosecutor. “Because no matter where they went the defendant was there.”
Others set to testify are the nurses and hospital officials that talked to the girls at Columbus Children’s Hospital, plus the Lima Police detectives that interviewed Smith following his arrest.
