Man given 72-year sentence for sexually assaulting 2 boys

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (AP) - A man who admitted to kidnapping and sexually assaulting two boys, and trying to kill one of them, will serve 72 years in prison.

The Sun Herald reports (https://bit.ly/1J1pQ0o) 43-year-old James Harold Smith was sentenced Monday. He pleaded guilty to attempted murder and two counts each of kidnapping and sexual battery.

Smith was arrested in 2013 after two brothers, ages 5 and 8, were abducted from Pearl River County. Authorities say Smith took them to his Hancock County camper, where he sexually assaulted them and tried to kill the older child.

The 8-year-old was able to run to a neighbor’s house for help. District Attorney Joel Smith says the child’s throat was slashed.

Smith tried to flee with the other child before abandoning him following a car and foot chase.

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Information from: The Sun Herald, https://www.sunherald.com