Man charged in Jenkins Park sexual assault
Posted For: MugsMalone
By Mark Fleming
A 27-year-old Baytown man has been charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault and one count of aggravated robbery in connection with a sexual assault in Jenkins Park Sept. 1.
Baytown police said the man, Wildred Smith, has been in jail since Sept. 14 on unrelated charges. The new charges were filed Wednesday, according to Harris County court records.
Police spokeswoman Ana Fernandez said that on Sept. 14 a Baytown officer recognized the vehicle Smith was driving as matching the description of the vehicle used in the sexual assault. During the stop, the officer saw the driver resembled the description of the suspect and notified detectives, who questioned Smith.
A 50-year-old woman reported being assaulted about 11:30 a.m. Sept. 1 as she was walking on a trail at Jenkins Park in the 4300 block of Crosby Cedar Bayou Road.
Fernandez said Smith voluntarily provided a DNA sample, which was sent to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences for comparison to samples from the crime scene.
While Smith denied any involvement in the assault, he was arrested for outstanding warrants for family violence and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jail records show that bond was denied for those charges.
Fernandez released a statement from Police Chief John Stringer that said, “The Baytown Police Department has taken a definitive stance against violent crime in our community. We have been committed to relentlessly pursue justice, fully investigating violent crimes, identifying and locating violent offenders, arresting and prosecuting them to fullest extent of the law no matter where they flee.
“The men and women of the Baytown Police Department have been actively working this case to bring the suspect to justice and closure to the victim. This is another example of the professional police work that BPD officers at all levels do on a daily basis. The Command Staff of Baytown Police Department recognizes the countless hours of teamwork that went into this case. We are proud of our officers. We appreciate the cooperation of our media partners in getting information and suspect descriptions to our citizens.”
County jail records indicate bond has not yet been set on the new charges, but the Harris County District Attorney’s office has requested that bond be denied. In a separate motion, the DA’s office requested that bond, if approved, be set at $500,000 for the aggravated robbery. Court documents for the sexual assault charges were not immediately available.
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