Smith

PRINEVILLE — Whatever presence Anthony James Smith would have had Tuesday in court was overshadowed by the more than 50 community members who showed up in support of the victims Smith is accused of trying to murder and rape.

Dozens packed the large courtroom wearing green and purple ribbons in support of the victims. The effort was organized through a Facebook page set up by a friend to keep the community updated on the case.

The victims have been released from the hospital and are recovering from knife wounds suffered in the Jan. 29 attack. One victim was in attendance at the hearing.

The Bulletin does not identify victims of sexual assault.

The hearing was supposed to be in a small courtroom with room for about 10 spectators, but it was moved to a larger room during a break in a trial to accommodate the large number of attendees.

Smith, 25, is accused of breaking into one victim’s home in Prineville on Jan. 29 after a night of partying with friends. Prineville Police Capt. Larry Seymour said a friend was visiting there, and Smith allegedly attacked both women with a knife before trying to rape the woman who lived there.

Smith and the woman at whose home the attack took place lived close by and were neighborly — a wave here and head nod there upon passing by on the sidewalk — but otherwise did not know each other, Seymour said.

“A total stranger act that doesn’t really happen here in Prineville,” Seymour said. “In this case, it almost made it more horrific because it was a stranger-type person.”

Seymour said Smith illegally entered the home through the front door but declined to say whether it was locked. Smith immediately attacked the friend with a knife, stabbing her in the neck. Seymour said the wound came close to the throat and produced a significant amount of blood.

“In my experience — I’ve been here almost 13 years — it was one of the most horrific wounds (I’ve seen),” Seymour said.

At that point, the other woman was able to catch Smith’s attention, allowing her friend to escape. The friend ran outside screaming for help and was able to call 911 with the help of nearby citizens.

Smith then turned to the other woman, allegedly stabbing her in the face and arm. Police were close by and got to the scene quickly to find Smith allegedly attempting to rape the woman, according to police reports.

Seymour declined to say whether Smith gave a confession, or consented to an interview with investigators following his arrest.

Smith does not have a criminal history in Oregon, and Seymour said local law enforcement hadn’t had contact with him previously.

According to a Prineville Police news release, Smith is a former U.S. Marine who was last employed in December by a security company.

Smith remains in the Jefferson County jail, where Crook County houses inmates, on a $1 million bail.

On Tuesday, the 6-foot-1-inch Smith appeared before Crook County Circuit Judge Daniel Ahern in an orange jail jumpsuit, cleanly shaven and with short hair. He mostly stayed quiet during the brief hearing, letting his defense attorney Victoria Moffet schedule an early resolution conference for Feb. 21, where Smith will again appear via video. Attorney Casey Baxter was also present, and said he will likely be joining the defense team.

As the hearing wrapped up, the 53 community members in attendance flooded out of the courtroom and lingered in the hallway of the old courthouse. The scene was more of a reunion than a criminal proceeding, as friends greeted and hugged, coming together in support of the victims.

Seymour said he hasn’t talked with the victims enough to get a sense of their mental recovery, but he imagined it would be a long process.

“I’m sure this is something they’re going to have to live with, that will haunt them for a long, long time,” he said.

— Reporter: 541-383-0376, awieber@bendbulletin.com

“In my experience — I’ve been here almost 13 years — it was one of the most horrific wounds (I’ve seen).”— Prineville Police Capt. Larry Seymour