Sarasota man found guilty of sexually abusing a 7-year-old on his sailboat
A Sarasota man was given a life sentence for sexually assaulting a young child on his sailboat in 2021, the State Attorney’s Office said on Tuesday.
A jury found John Martin Smith, 48, guilty of capital sexual battery upon a child under 12 years of age after hearing testimony from the child who was 7 years old at the time of the assault.
The girl, who was aboard Smith’s sailboat in Sarasota Bay in June 2021, told the jury how, when she was trying to sleep in the cabin, she heard the boat floorboards creak as Smith approached her.
According to the release, the girl said Smith then sexually assaulted her in the cubby where she slept.
The jury also was shown a video from when Sarasota police detectives questioned Smith. He said the girl was just mistaken and he was just “moving” the girl because she looked uncomfortable as she tried to sleep.
A family member also testified that Smith had also abused them in a similar way 20 years ago.
“The little girl, in this case, was incredibly brave in testifying against her abuser at trial,” Assistant State Attorney Ryan Felix said in the release. “The evidence showed Smith had done this before, but because of the jury’s verdict and the judge’s sentence, he’ll never be able to do it again.”
Circuit Court Judge Thomas Krug sentenced Smith to life in prison after the four-day trial.
This story was originally published April 11, 2023 at 1:53 PM.
