ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — After more than five hours of deliberation, a St. Louis County jury on Thursday convicted a man of multiple sex crimes against a minor that occurred over a 3-year period in Overland.
Michael George Smith, 62, was convicted in St. Louis County Circuit Court of three counts of first-degree statutory sodomy against a victim less than 12 years old, according to a news release from the office of St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell. Smith, who was free on a $150,000 bond, was taken into custody after the verdict was read.
The sentencing for each of the felony charges ranges from 10 years to life in prison and must run consecutively. The jury recommended 25 years on each count. Smith is set to be sentenced March 24.
The attorney's office shared a comment from the victim, who testified at the trial.
"I had a voice and I wanted to be heard," the victim said. "I didn't want this to happen to anybody else. I had to go through all this to be okay."
The crimes happened between June 2012 and December 2015 and were investigated by the Overland Police Department.
"This brave and resilient young woman took the stand and said she wanted her voice to be heard, and I thank this patient jury for hearing her," Bell said. "She said she wanted to make sure this never happens to anyone else, and I believe the prison sentence will put this pedophile out of harm's way for the rest of his life. She said she had to go through the criminal justice system to be 'okay,' and I pray she does very much better than 'okay' now that justice was served."
