LAFAYETTE COUNTY, Mo. (KCTV) - A jury has now found a Missouri man guilty of the months-long sexual abuse of a 5-year-old boy.

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway says that on Tuesday, Sept. 10, a jury in Lafayette County convicted Joel Smith of statutory sodomy in the first degree.

AG Hanaway indicated that the conviction was secured after Smith’s repeated sexual abuse of a 5-year-old boy. He took advantage of the child between May and August 2023.

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Hanaway noted that the jury heard statements from the victim, who is now 7, along with his family and multiple professionals who investigated the incident.

After 2 hours of deliberation, the Attorney General said jurors served Smit

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