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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, December 9, 2005

Man indicted in sex assault of girl, 15

By David Waite
Advertiser Staff Writer

An O'ahu grand jury yesterday indicted a 22-year-man suspected of holding a 15-year-old girl against her will for five days, sexually assaulting her repeatedly and forcing her to engage in prostitution.

The indictment, which was returned at about noon in Circuit Court, accuses Jason Smith of six counts of first-degree sexual assault and one count each of promoting prostitution and kidnapping.

Circuit Judge Derrick Chan granted a request by city Deputy Prosecutor Thalia Murphy to set bail for Smith, who is from Michigan, at $150,000. Bail was initially set in the case at $30,000 by District Judge Faye Koyanagi.

Murphy urged Chan to set the higher bail amount based on her assertions that Smith is unemployed, has no ties to the community, allegedly threatened the victim's life and that of her family, allegedly threatened her with an electric stun gun, allegedly drew profits from forcing the girl into acts of prostitution and solicited some of the victim's friends to become prostitutes.

The girl told police Smith befriended her Dec. 1, took her to his room at a hotel on Ala Moana and sexually assaulted her. She said Smith then invited his 24-year-old friend to sexually assault her. That man was in police custody yesterday but had not yet been charged in the case.

Police said the girl escaped from the hotel room about 11 p.m. Monday while one of the men was out of the room and the other was in the bathroom.

Reach David Waite at dwaite@honoluluadvertiser.com.