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In the wake of Pender sexual-assault conviction, here's how victims can seek help

A white Pender County Sheriff car photographed from the side sitting in front of the Pender County Courthouse lawn.
Nikolai Mather
/
WHQR
Pender County Sheriff's Office.

On Thursday, a man was found guilty in Pender County for second-degree forcible rape, sexual battery, and assault on a female. It's a terrible crime — but there is help available for victims.

Darryl Smith, age 33, was found guilty for a rape and sexual assault that took place in June of 2022. Smith was sentenced to 73-148 months.

Smith, a former United States Marine, had a violent history of abuse that was uncovered during the trial. Both the victim and another woman testified that they suffered physical, sexual, and emotional harm at the hands of Smith. A friend of Smith, who testified on his behalf, admitted she was also physically abused by him.

In a statement, prosecutor Rebecca Zimmer Donaldson, who is currently campaigning for District Attorney, said the acts of physical violence presented during the trial occurred behind closed doors, in the comfort of Smith’s home.

Chelsea Croom, program director of the Rape Crisis Center of Coastal Horizons, a local nonprofit offering free and confidential services for survivors of sexual assault in Eastern North Carolina, said domestic violence is a lot more prevalent than people realize.

“With sexual violence in the home, people will suffer at the hands of their partners," Croom said. "That's the person who has the most access to them and can manipulate them and will take advantage of them in that way. So it does happen a lot more than I think a lot of people know.”

Coastal Horizon's Rape Crisis Center offers free therapy for survivors of sexual violence and more.

"We can also help walk them through the steps," Croom said. "So meeting them at the hospital for a rape kit, going with them to subsequent interviews with law enforcement, and then hopefully going with them to court for prosecution and walking them through all of those steps on their healing journey."

Coastal Horizon's Rape Crisis Center serves New Hanover, Pender, Brunswick, and Duplin counties. Croom urges victims of sexual assault to reach out to their 24/7 hotline, at 910-392-7460.

Donaldson said she and the team at New Hanover and Pender counties' District Attorney’s Office are dedicated to standing with survivors and pursuing justice.

Aaleah McConnell is a Report for America corps member and a recent North Carolina implant from Atlanta, Georgia. They report on the criminal justice system in New Hanover County and surrounding areas. Before joining WHQR, they completed a fellowship with the States Newsroom, as a General Assignment Reporter for the Georgia Recorder. Aaleah graduated from Kennesaw State University with a degree in journalism and minored in African and African-American Diaspora studies. In their free time, Aaleah loves roller-skating and enjoys long walks with their dog Kai. You can reach them at amcconnell@whqr.org.