A man from Mandan has admitted to committing sexual crimes against a girl who was eight years old at the time.
Court records show Vincy Bishop Smith changed his plea from “not guilty” to “guilty” in South Central District Court Monday morning.
He orginally maintained his innocence on two charges: gross sexual imposition and continuous sexual abuse of a child, both class AA felonies.
But on Monday, one day before a scheduled jury trial, court records show Smith changed his plea to “guilty” to one of the charges, in exchange for the dismissal of the gross sexual imposition charge.
Police say in 2016, Smith sexually assaulted a girl who was 8 years old at the time.
The clerk of court for Morton County says sentencing will be held at a later date, following a psychological evaluation. The class AA felony charge carries a maximum life sentence.
Police say another young child was sexually abused in Linton. Smith is scheduled to be arraigned in that case Monday afternoon. A jury trial is scheduled for April.
