Gary ONeal Smith, 63, of De Soto has been charged with 10 felonies for allegedly sexually molesting a young girl and recording images of the abuse, court records show.
The abuse reportedly took place in St. Charles between Dec. 1, 2013, and Aug. 19, 2016, beginning when the victim was younger than 12 years old, according to indictment documents from the 11th Judicial Circuit Court in St. Charles.
Smith allegedly had sexual contact with the girl on several occasions and created digital images of the acts, the report said.
On Nov. 4, a grand jury indicted Smith, charging him with six counts of first-degree sodomy, each one an unclassified felony, and four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, all class A felonies.
Each of the sodomy charges is punishable by up to life imprisonment without eligibility for probation or parole until the offender has served not less than 30 years or unless he reaches the age of 75 and has served at least 15 years, according to court papers.
The exploitation charges each carries a penalty of 10 to 30 years or life in prison, the report said.
A plea hearing is set for 9 a.m. Jan. 20 in front of St. Charles Div. 1 Circuit Judge Ted House, and a jury trial is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. March 27 in House’s courtroom.
Smith currently is being held in the St. Charles County Jail on a $200,000 bond.