Nearly nine months after his initial arrest, the trial for former Ferris hockey goaltender Darren Smith will begin 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 9. It will be a four-day trial, according to the Mecosta County Clerk’s Ofce.
Smith was initially arrested July 12, 2018, for three counts of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree. The individual charges include causing personal injury to a woman who was incapacitated or physically helpless with oral and digital penetration.
The victim of the three charges is the same woman, according to Mecosta County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Amy Clapp. The victim is a Ferris student and is over the age of 16, but her name is being kept anonymous in the interest of protecting her privacy.
Smith has been out on bond and has been required to wear a GPS tether. Other requirements of his bond stated that he is not allowed to leave the state, consume alcohol or illegal controlled substances, or have any contact with the victim, her residence or place of work. Smith was arrested and put in jail Oct. 9, 2018, for allegedly violating his bond conditions by going within the exclusion zone of the victim’s residence. He was not released until the hearing Oct. 22, 2018, where his original bond conditions were reinstated with the exception that he was not allowed on the road outside the victim’s apartment complex.
Since Smith’s arraignment, he was removed from the Ferris ice hockey team and was expelled from the university.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
Former Ferris hockey goaltender Darren Smith is on trial for criminal sexual conduct. The Torch will be covering his trial at the Mecosta County Courthouse in Big Rapids, which is set to begin Tuesday, April 9. Torch staff members will be at the trial on a regular basis and will be gathering facts straight from the trial. We intend to cover the case with daily recaps that will be available on our website. In addition, Torch staff members will be live tweeting from their personal Twitter accounts following notable actions during the trial.
In addition, the Torch has been in communication with the Student Press Law Center prior to the trial to help ensure the reporting is thorough and accurate. We will cover the trial fairly for both parties.
In addition, the Torch’s commenting policy, which is explained on our website, will continue to be enforced during this time. Comments that do not adhere to our policy, including obscene or defamatory comments, will be removed. The commenter will be notified of the removal.
To see the Torch’s coverage of the Darren Smith trial, visit our website, fsutorch. com. To read live tweets posted during the trial, follow Editor in Chief Megan Lewton (@ megriley42) and Sports Editor Cora Hall (@ corahalll) on their personal Twitter accounts.