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Smith pleads guilty in burglary, sexual assault, kidnapping case web posted February 12, 2009  EDGEFIELD – A trial set for Wednesday for
Pleaze Ravon Smith, 44, was stopped shortly before the jury was brought
in the courtroom when it was announced that a plea deal had been
reached. Smith was indicted for burglary in the first degree, criminal
sexual conduct, violation of a restraining order, assault and battery
of a high and aggravated nature, and four counts of kidnapping from an
attack that took place on February 4,
2008 in Trenton. If convicted on
all charges Smith faced a life sentence plus 163 years. Under the agreement Mr. Smith plead guilty to one count of burglary in the second degree - violent, and the charge for the criminal sexual conduct was reduced to assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature - indecent liberties with a female. The charges totaled a possible 25 years in prison and the sentencing was at the discretion of Circuit Court Judge Knox McMahon. After listening to the facts of the case being read, the victim impact speaker for the family, and Mr. Smith’s explanation, Judge McMahon handed down a sentence of fifteen years for the charge of burglary and ten years suspended to four years probation, to be served consecutively. He will not have to register as a sex offender. According to the solicitor the Trenton woman awoke around 1:30 am that morning to the sound of a door being opened. When she went to investigate Mr. Smith is said to have grabbed her by the throat and began choking her. Mr. Smith forced the woman and daughter into a bedroom where two other children were present and continued his attack by sexually assaulting one of the women. He held them captive for between two and two and a half hours before leaving the scene. Mr. Smith’s attorney Everett Chandler painted a far different picture of the crime saying Mr. Smith and the woman had an ongoing secrete relationship and they had worked out a secret way for him to let her know when he was there by tapping on her window and she would come to let him in. Mr. Smith said that the two were getting sexual in the living room when he claimed to know that she had sex with another man and got angry and did attack the woman but denied attacking the daughter. Mr. Chandler explained that Mr. Smith was also of victim in the case. Mr. Smith’s plea was such that he did not admit to being guilty of the crimes he was charged with, but understood that due to the nature of the evidence against him he would most likely be found guilty of the charges. According to the sentencing as it was explained by the solicitor’s office, Mr. Smith will have to complete the 16 year sentence before the second sentence of four years of probation will begin. If during that probationary period Mr. Smith violates his probation he can be sent back to prison to complete the original ten years that was suspended. He can have no contact with any of the victims or a named family friend. Smith is being credited for the one year he has already served since his arrest a year ago. The victims were very pleased that Mr. Smith was going to prison but had hoped for a longer sentence. Mr. Smith could be released in eight years. © Copyright 2009
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