VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — A Terre Haute man charged with child molestation appeared in Vigo County Court this week.
Mark Allen Smith, 39, of Terre Haute, appeared before Vigo County Judge Sarah K. Mullican in Vigo Superior Court 3 on Tuesday for a pretrial conference.
According to court documents, Smith is accused of molesting two juveniles multiple times. A 13-year-old boy told social workers during a forensic interview at Suzies Place that Smith had been molesting him since the age of 6. The boy said Smith had also molested a 14-year-old girl. Social workers interviewed both juveniles as well as a third juvenile with knowledge of the situation ahead of Smith’s arrest.
The boy also said Smith would threaten him with a handgun while molesting him, a claim backed up by what the third juvenile told a social worker in a separate interview.
“[Smith] said ‘You see that over there? I’m going to shoot you with that if you don’t keep going.’ [Juvenile #3] stated that Juvenile #1 was referring to a handgun that [Smith] had in a drawer/cabinet thing.”
Probable Cause Affidavit filed with Vigo County Superior Court
The boy told a social worker that Smith would exchange things like ice cream, extra video game time, and even in-game currency for sexual favors.
“Juvenile #1 stated that [Smith] used to bribe and give him rewards like extra video game time, treats, or Vbucks for his video games.” the affidavit reads.
The 14-year-old girl reportedly told social workers that Smith had done “the private thing” with her when she was 13 at Smith’s house, after which “they went downstairs and played video games.”
Smith was booked into the Vigo County Jail in September 2022, court documents indicate the most recent incident occurred in the summer of 2022. He’s been charged with the following;
- Child molesting fondling or touching with child under 14
- A level 4 felony
- Child molesting where def is at least 21 years of age
- A level 1 felony
- Sexual misconduct with a minor
- A level 5 felony
Smith is scheduled to appear for another pre-trial conference on April 20 at 8:45 a.m. with a jury trial scheduled for April 25.
