Ypsilanti man, 39, convicted in 2015 sexual assault case

CBS News Detroit Digital Brief for Nov. 1, 2023

(CBS DETROIT) - A 39-year-old Ypsilanti man was convicted last week in a 2015 sexual assault case, the Michigan Attorney General's office announced Wednesday.

The case remained unsolved until the Washtenaw County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative began investigating the incident and identified Lewis Smith as the suspect, according to a press release.

On Friday, Oct. 27, he was convicted of first-degree and third-degree criminal sexual conduct in the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court. He was charged as a fourth-offense habitual offender. 

Authorities say Smith assaulted the woman who was under the influence of heroin, which he was aware of. The victim awoke during the assault with Smith restraining her by her neck. The woman suffered multiple injuries.

"This conviction, secured by the talented investigators and prosecutors of the Washtenaw SAKI unit, demonstrates sexual predators can and will be held accountable regardless of the circumstance and struggles of our victims," Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. "Our SAKI teams across the state continue to prove this to survivors." 

Smith will be sentenced on Dec. 4.

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