Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
A Warsaw man found guilty of molesting two teenage girls in December 2005 was sentenced to 64 years in prison Thursday in Kosciusko Circuit Court.
On Apil 26, a 12-person jury convicted Christopher Smith, 34, of Warsaw, of one count of Class A felony child molesting, one count of Class B felony sexual misconduct with a minor, and one count of Class C felony sexual misconduct with a minor.
Thursday, Kosciusko Circuit Court Judge Rex Reed handed down a 64-year sentence for the crime. The maximum sentence possible for the offense was 78 years.
"The (Kosciusko County) Prosecutor's Office did an outstanding job during the case," said detective Scott Whitaker, the lead investigator in the case. "We are pleased with the prosecution that led to Smith's conviction and we are obviously pleased with Judge Reed's sentence."
Smith was found guilty of child molesting, a Class A felony for having sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl. The Class B felony sexual misconduct with a minor stemmed from Smith touching a 13-year-old girl in an inappropriate sexual way. The sexual misconduct with a minor, a Class C felony, resulted from Smith touching a 14-year-old girl in an inappropriate sexual manner.
Smith was found not guilty of a second count of Class A felony child molesting because the jury was not sure if the second instance of sexual intercourse occurred before the victim's 13th birthday.
Smith was convicted for having sex with his 13-year-old babysitter and fondling her 14-year old friend while the girls were staying overnight at his house in December 2005.
After the verdicts were read in April, Kosciusko Circuit Court Judge Rex Reed revoked Smith's bond. Smith was immediately taken into custody by the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department and booked into the Kosciusko County Jail.
The conviction is not the first time Smith faced child molestation charges. In 2004, Smith was arrested and stood trial for child molestation, but a jury found him not guilty of the charges.
