A Houston teenager has been sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to three felony charges following a 2016 hatchet attack incident in Licking.
Texas County Prosecuting Attorney Parke Stevens Jr. said that during a court proceeding June 19, Corey Z. Smith, 19, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and two counts of assault on a corrections officer. Judge Bill Hickle subsequently sentenced Smith to seven years in the Missouri Department of Corrections system for each charge. The sentences are to run concurrently.
According to a report by the Licking Police Department Chief Scott Lindsey, the incident began when an officer was dispatched around 1:45 a.m. May 2, 2016, to a residence on South Main Street in reference to a domestic disturbance. Upon arrival, the officer discovered a 26-year-old man who lived there with serious injuries –– determined to be caused by a hatchet.
Lindsey said the victim had been involved in an altercation with Smith, and said he broke a glass table in the residence and when confronted, struck the victim several times with a hatchet.
After the fight, Smith left the residence on foot. The victim – Smith’s stepfather – was transported by ambulance to a landing zone and then taken by helicopter for medical treatment. Stevens said he received 17 staples to his head to repair the hatchet wound.
After being located and apprehended at a home on Highway 137 south of Licking, Smith was taken to the Texas County Jail. On Aug. 27, 2016, he allegedly struck two jailers multiple times in the head with his fist and elbow while they were attempting to move him from one cell to another. He was reportedly being moved after sticking pencils in his ears and then making obscene statements to jailers when they asked for the pencils.
“Assaults are serious offenses, especially ones that cause severe injuries or to corrections officers,” Stevens said. “Seven years is an appropriate sentence under the authorized ranges of punishment, considering Smith had no prior criminal history. He received the maximum sentences allowed by law for the assault on the corrections officers and a fair sentence for the assault on his stepfather.
“I want to express sorrow to all the victims and hopes this sentence gives them some relief that justice was served. Further, I want to thank all the law enforcement officers and departments who worked these cases, Judge William Hickle for overseeing the cases, and defense counsel for Mr. Smith. The actions of all these individuals enable the criminal justice system to seek justice.”