Crosby man sentenced to life in prison for repeated sexual abuse of 13-year-old child
HOUSTON - A Crosby man who repeatedly sexually assaulted a 13-year-old child beginning in 2017 was sentenced to life in prison by a Harris County jury, District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.
"Crimes like this that happen under the cover of darkness need to be brought to the light so that we can get justice for the victim and their family," Ogg said. "And Texas law allows juries to sentence predators who do things like this to life in prison without the possibility of parole, which is the right result."
Roger Allan Smith, 55, was convicted of continuous sexual assault of a child for repeatedly abusing a child who was part of his extended family while other family members were out of the home or asleep.
Smith was familiar with the security system in the home and turned off cameras that would have caught the abuse as it happened.
The child’s outcry included a plea to another family member to move in with them because of what was happening. That adult alerted the Deer Park Police Department.
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The case was referred to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, whose deputies investigated and arrested Smith.
Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Arcuri, who is assigned to the DA’s Crimes Against Children Division, and ADA Lindsey Pearson, who is assigned to the Trial Bureau, prosecuted Smith in a five-day trial.
"Even though this should have never happened, our victim showed incredible strength and poise in testifying against their abuser," Arcuri said. "We are incredibly grateful to the jury for recognizing that this behavior can never be tolerated and sentencing the defendant to life in prison."
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The jury found Smith guilty and sentenced him to life in prison without parole late on Friday, Feb. 23.