SALT LAKE CITY — Criminal charges were filed and an arrest warrant was issued Tuesday for a man accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in Cedar City 17 years ago.
Shawn Michael Smith, 40, address unknown, was charged in 5th District Court with rape of a child and sodomy on a child, both first-degree felonies; obstructing justice, a second-degree felony; and aggravated assault, a third-degree felony.
Smith is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl at knifepoint in 2003 when he was 23. After the assault, Smith threatened “that he would kill her if she told anyone about what happened,” according to charging documents.
At the time, police interviewed Smith and DNA samples were sent to the Utah State Crime Lab for testing. However, the lab was unable to compare the small amount of evidence collected, the charges state.
“In subsequent years, the sensitivity of DNA testing and available technology greatly improved. The state of Utah obtained funds allowing for the retesting of previously tested samples in which a DNA profile was not obtained,” prosecutors noted in the court documents.
In 2018, the crime lab sent DNA samples from the girl to Bode Cellmark Forensics in Virginia.
This time, analysts were able to enter a DNA profile into local and national databases and found a match with Smith, the charges state, and then compared it to the previous evidence collected.
Smith was convicted of possession of a dangerous weapon in 2009 and was sentenced to up to five years in the Utah State Prison. In 2010 he was convicted of drug possession and sentenced to one to 15 years in prison, according to court records.