CADILLAC — A former Cadillac resident who fled Michigan after being charged in 2018 for sex crimes against a 15-year-old was convicted Friday in Wexford County Circuit Court, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced.
According to a Sept. 17 news release, Edward Eugene Smith, 34, most recently of Seattle, pleaded no contest to child sexually abusive activity and using a computer to commit child sexually abusive activity, both 20-year felonies, and accosting a minor for immoral purposes, a four-year felony.
Prosecutors said Smith, then 28, persuaded a 15-year-old high school student to pose partially nude while he photographed her in his apartment. A roommate discovered the images on Smith’s device and alerted authorities. Smith was initially charged in 2018 by the Wexford County Prosecutor’s Office but left Michigan soon afterward.
Under Operation Survivor Justice, Smith was arrested in Seattle in February and extradited to Michigan to face the charges.
“This conviction is another example of how Operation Survivor Justice brings individuals with active warrants back to face their charges,” Nessel said in a statement. “My office will continue to prosecute and hold offenders accountable, no matter how long they have evaded justice.”
Smith pleaded as a second-offense habitual offender, following a 2010 conviction in Missaukee County for assault with intent to commit sexual penetration on a different 15-year-old.
Sentencing is set for Oct. 23 before visiting Judge Bill Fagerman in 28th Circuit Court. Operation Survivor Justice is a partnership between the Attorney General’s Office, local prosecutors and the U.S. Marshals Service to locate and return fugitive offenders with outstanding sexual assault warrants.