Smith, 33, was wanted on charges involving traveling to meet a minor for a sexual encounter, grooming and disseminating harmful material.
Connor Smith’s mugshot from March 28, 2024.Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department
The arrest affidavit stated that Smith didn’t have any weapons, he didn’t appear under the influence of drugs and there was no indication of mental health issues at the time of his arrest.
The arrest comes more than a year after the alleged Feb. 9, 2023, incident that police said involved Smith making arrangements to meet whom he thought was a 15-year-old girl for sex in Lake County, Illinois.
In a media release dated Feb. 14, 2023, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office detailed the events leading up to the incident and the aftermath.
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“For the past several weeks, Connor N. Smith … was communicating with an undercover detective online [who] was posing as a girl under the age of 15,” the release said. “During the conversations, Smith sent ‘the child’ sexually explicit images and videos of himself. Smith then made arrangements to meet the ‘girl’ for a sexual encounter."
“Smith drove to meet the girl to engage in a sexual encounter with her,” the release continued. “When Smith arrived, detectives moved in to apprehend him. Smith, however, was able to escape and fled in his vehicle.”
The arrest affidavit listed Smith’s bond at $1 million after his arrest.
In an unrelated incident, Smith previously was arrested in December 2021 for allegedlysexually assaulting a teenage girl.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
