Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

A Fall River man who authorities said raped a mentally retarded man multiple times between January 2004 and October 2006 has been convicted and sentenced.

Buddy Smith, 23, was found guilty by a Taunton, Mass., Superior Court jury of charges of indecent assault and battery of a retarded person, witness intimidation, and rape, according to a news release from Bristol County District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter's office.

Judge Barbara Dortch-Okara sentenced Smith to 7 to 10 years in state prison. Smith will be placed on probation for five years upon his release.

The district attorney's office said the charges carried a maximum 20-year sentence in state prison; the Commowealth had recommended 15 to 20 years.

Smith's probation conditions are he must stay away from the victim and victim's family; he can't work or volunteer with disabled people; he can't have access to computers or chat lines; he must register as a sex offender; and, he must attend counseling for sex-crime perpetrators.

He will be required to wear a global positioning system monitoring bracelet during his probation.

The trial lasted five days and the jury deliberated for about four hours, according to the district attorney's office.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

 Tags  crime Fall River Massachusetts Taunton

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