Sex offender brought to justice

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July 07, 2007

By Paris Achen

Mail Tribune

A convicted sex offender who fled Oregon to southeast Asia was sentenced Friday to more than 22 years in prison for abusing a young girl related to him at a campsite in Jackson County eight years ago.

Terry S. Smith, 55, was convicted by a Jackson County Circuit Court jury May 29 of two counts of first-degree sodomy, first-degree sexual abuse, using a child to display sexual conduct related to photographs he took of the victim and two counts of failure to register as a sex offender.

Weeping and trembling, the victim, dressed in a white tank top and jeans, told Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Bill Purdy that she has forgiven Smith for abusing her but wants him to be punished.

"I can't believe we are actually doing this right now," she said. "I thought we were never going to find him, so I tried to make myself believe (the abuse) was just a dream or something, but it wasn't."

Federal marshals arrested Smith in September outside the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia after he was released from jail and ordered to leave the country for allegedly having sex with two minors and filming it in a bar he owned in the coastal town of Sihanoukville.

His arrest in Cambodia and subsequent extradition from California to Oregon concluded a nearly seven-year search for Smith by the Oregon State Police and federal marshals.

During his sentencing, Smith claimed his arrest in Cambodia was an illegal kidnapping by federal marshals. He indicated he plans to file a lawsuit against the U.S. Marshal's Service.

The victim cried and dabbed her eyes with a tissue as Smith spoke.

In April 1991, Smith was convicted in Josephine County of exploiting children for sexual display and sentenced to 17 months in prison.

After his release from prison for the conviction in Josephine County, Smith moved to Jackson County where he failed to register as a sex offender.

Smith frequently traveled abroad and abused his young relative during a visit to Jackson County in 1999.

He then fled to the Philippines.

He eventually made his way to Cambodia where he told an undercover investigator with the Washington, D.C.-based International Justice Mission that he was wanted in Oregon for sexually abusing a minor, said Emily Nichols, a spokesperson for the human rights organization.

Smith allegedly used Tramp's Place, a bar he owned in Sihanoukville, to sexually assault and prostitute girls between the ages of 11 and 14, Nichols said.

Cambodia has been known as a haven for pedophiles and other sex tourists, but Cambodian police are seeking to crack down on the industry, she said. They have asked the International Justice Mission to train officers in investigating human trafficking.

"Recent investigations and prosecutions such as the case of Terry Smith show the dedication of the Cambodian authorities to changing the equation in their country," Nichols said. "When sex tourists and traffickers are held accountable for their crimes, this strikes fear into the hearts of would-be criminals and provides protection for the victims of these crimes."

Reach reporter Paris Achen at 541-776-4459 or pachen@mailtribune.com.

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