Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 15, 1995 TAG: 9503150047
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Reiko L. Smith, 19, was scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday, but the hearing was delayed until April 17 to allow more time for a psychiatrist to complete a mental evaluation.
Still, Roanoke Circuit Judge Richard Pattisall ordered that Smith - who had been free on bond - report to the jail after hearing evidence Tuesday that Smith could be a threat to society.
Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Ann Gardner had objected to a continuance of Smith's sentencing and to his attorney's request that he remain free on bond.
``Justice delayed is justice denied,'' Gardner said. ``We don't want to wait and see if any other child is going to be raped or sodomized before this case comes to a termination.''
Testimony in the case - believed to involve the youngest victim of sexual abuse in recent Roanoke history - has shown that Smith admitted having anal sex with an 18-month-old boy he was baby-sitting last March in his Northwest Roanoke home.
The child's mother became suspicious later that day, when the toddler screamed after she patted him on the behind. The child was taken to Community Hospital of Roanoke Valley, where doctors found a small amount of internal bleeding, which was consistent with the attack that Smith admitted, according to testimony Tuesday.
Smith has yet to be convicted of a crime. At an earlier hearing, Pattisall ruled that he had heard sufficient evidence for a conviction, but agreed to delay a final decision on the degree of guilt until the sentencing hearing.
When Smith returns to court in April, he will face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
by CNB