Man draws 3-year sentence for Henry County rape, sexual battery convictions

NEW CASTLE, Ind. — A man who sexually assaulted two teenagers in their family's Henry County home has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Tyrese Nolan Smith, 22 — of Shirley, a town located on the Henry-Hancock county line — had pleaded guilty to rape and sexual battery.

Henry Circuit Court 1 Judge Bob Witham on Wednesday accepted a recommendation offered in a plea agreement and imposed a nine-year sentence — three years of incarceration followed by six years on probation.

According to court documents, Smith was one of several people who attended a gathering at the victims' home, in southern Henry County, on July 2, 2022.

According to a report by Josh Smith, a detective with the Henry County Sheriff's Department, both victims and Smith were among those who had been drinking alcoholic beverages at the gathering.

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The teenagers each reported they had gone to bed and awoke to find Smith sexually assaulting them.

Upon his release from prison, Smith will be required to register as a convicted sex offender with authorities in the communities where he lives and works.

In a release, Deputy Prosecutor Christi Brock said, "I admire and respect the survivors of this incident for their persevering courage.

"It takes tremendous, emotional strength to endure the legal process, recount trauma, and face one’s assailant. Those young women are heroes."

In a sentencing memo, Brock said Smith had displayed a "propensity for dishonesty, involvement with minors, and drugs and alcohol."

According to court documents, Smith in 2021 was convicted of resisting law enforcement, driving while intoxicated and possession of marijuana in Hancock Superior Court 2.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter for The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Man draws 3-year sentence for Henry County rape conviction