Bullard man harboring runaway had history with minors

BULLARD – A Bullard man has been arrested after allegedly grooming multiple minors and buying them vapes and alcohol according to our news partner KETK.

According to an arrest affidavit, on July 25 the Bullard Police Department helped the Smith County Sheriff’s Office in finding a runaway that was suspected to be at 320 South Todd Street in Bullard. Upon their arrival to the residence, law enforcement made contact with an individual identified as Randy Smith, age 47 and originally of Whitehouse, the document said. Smith reportedly identified himself as the owner of the residence. Court documents state that officers found four minors at his residence, including the runaway. Smith allegedly claimed the child was dropped off at his home at some point in the night and had been friends with his daughter who recently left the state.

According to the affidavit, on July 30 a Bullard PD investigator observed a forensic interview with the runaway child at the Child Advocacy Center in Tyler. During the interview the minor said that they had snuck out of their parents residence and an unidentified individual picked them up and took them to Smith’s residence.

The child then shared that on July 24, one of the other minors that was found at Smith’s residence asked them if they wanted to have sex with Smith, who they referred to as ‘Rob,’ the court document said. The report said that the first child declined the offer but was then told that they “don’t know what they are missing out on” and told them that Smith had bought them a sex toy and other gifts.

The affidavit said that on Aug. 1 the investigator interviewed one of the minors at the Bullard Police Department when the minor stated that Smith had been touching one of the other minors inappropriately. The minor also told the investigator that Smith had bought all of the girls numerous kinds of alcohol, vapes and a sex toy.

According to the affidavit, later in the interview the minor told police that two of the other minors picked up the child who was the runaway at approximately 9-10:30 a.m. on July 24 and that Smith told all of them not to tell anyone about the vapes and alcohol he bought for them. According to the report, the minor then played for the police a recording of a phone call between Smith and one of the minors where he told them not to tell anyone about the vapes and alcohol, and when they asked him about touching one of the girls inappropriately he responded by saying that he “messes with her because she gets physical.”

The affidavit said that on Aug. 1 during a non-custodial interview with Smith at the Bullard Police Department, Smith initially denied knowing who picked up the minor that was declared a runaway but then later admitted that two of the minors “convinced” him to pick the runaway up.

According to the court document, on Aug. 5 there was a follow-up interview of the runaway minor at the Child Advocacy Center where the minor told police that they were picked up by Smith on July 24 and when they were at his residence he told them to run out of the back of the house if police showed up.

According to the affidavit, on Aug. 6 a forensic examination of one of the minors was performed. The minor reportedly told the nurse that one of the others called them and offered for them to “hook up with” Smith, they told Ferguson “I think [the other minor] was trying to sell me to [Smith] for vapes and alcohol.”

The report stated that on Aug. 13 another one of the minors had a forensic examination at the Child Advocacy Center, and during the examination they told the nurse that the minors that were boys had chosen to stay the night at Smith’s residence because they didn’t want Smith to be left alone with the girls.

According to the affidavit, the minor also said that Smith talked “weird” to her and would ask her how many boyfriends she has had and that Smith told all of the minors that while they were at his house they could vape, drink and smoke cigarettes. The minor said Smith offered to buy her a sex toy and would make comments about how she looked and that he “slapped her butt and tickled her side.”

On Wednesday, Aug. 28, the Bullard Police Department arrested Smith and took him to the Smith County Jail, where he was charged with enticing a child, harboring a runaway, two counts of grooming, tampering with a witness and six counts of purchasing alcohol for a minor. Smith’s bond has been set at $1,475,000