Great Lakes Wire

Edward Eugene Smith, 35, was sentenced to a prison term of 10 to 30 years by Judge Bill Fagerman in Wexford County’s 28th Circuit Court. The sentencing, announced by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, comes after Smith pled no contest in September to charges including Child Sexually Abusive Activity, Accosting a Minor for Immoral Purposes, and Using a Computer to Commit Child Sexually Abusive Activity.

The case stems from events in 2018 when Smith, then 28 years old and living in Cadillac, Michigan, convinced a 14-year-old high school student to pose partially nude for photographs taken in his apartment. The crime came to light when Smith’s roommate discovered the images on one of Smith’s devices and reported the incident to authorities. Smith was charged by the Wexford County Prosecuting Attorney that year but left Michigan soon after.

Attorney General Dana Nessel commented on the outcome: “The bravery of the victim and a roommate who reported this crime, combined with the dedicated work of the Cadillac Police Department, the Wexford County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, U.S. Marshall’s Office, and the Oasis Family Resource Center, ensured that this offender was held accountable and the victim received the support she needed,” Nessel said. “My office will continue to work with our partners to bring justice to victims of sexual abuse.”

During sentencing, the victim submitted a statement describing the ongoing impact of the abuse: “The trauma you caused has stuck with me physically, my skin reacting to the chemicals released by one’s brain when they get put through such horrendous things. It burns, it cracks and separates. It constantly dries out and is itching; almost as if my skin itself cries out and claims if it is ugly, no one will do such things to me again.”

She also wrote: “I will relish in every day I get to heal and grow and do things I want, when I want. Raising my sons into fine young men who will do everything they can to protect the people around them from folks like you because they will know what is right and what is wrong.”

Smith was arrested in Seattle, Washington in February of this year under Operation Survivor Justice—a collaborative effort between the Michigan Department of Attorney General, local prosecutors, and the U.S. Marshals Service aimed at locating and extraditing fugitives with outstanding sexual assault warrants back to Michigan.