4 years, 2 months ago by Scott Hardy
Prosecution granted request for delay; hearing set for Friday
The trial of a Hannibal man, facing a 2017 child sodomy charge, has been delayed.
A three-day trial for Eugene Smith was set to start Wednesday in Marion County Circuit Court, in front of Ralls County Judge David Mobley. However, records show that on Friday, prosecutors were granted a motion to delay the trial. There'll be a pre-trial hearing this Friday. Smith faces two counts of statutory sodomy involving a child under 14. He's been charged based on a mid-September 2017 incident involving a boy who's the grandson of a woman Smith was living with. A probable cause statement says the boy made the accusation to his mother, after she came to pick him up after staying with his grandmother. Smith is charged as a persistent sexual offender, meaning that if he's convicted, he'll get a life sentence.
Smith is now free on $50,000 bond, but must wear an ankle monitor and is confined to his home.
