Bail for man accused of assaulting infant reduced, drawing complaints from his family

The family of a man who is accused of assaulting his infant daughter multiple times is outraged that his bond has been reduced significantly.

Sebastian Smith was arrested on Oct. 27 after his daughter, Sequoia Smith, showed signs of shaken-baby syndrome.

Judge James Triplet granted Smith’s bond reduction on Jan. 17 from $100,000 to $25,000 after a successful motion by his public defender Christine Carlile that he had no prior criminal history and wasn’t at risk of failing to show up for court dates.

“My family and I are appalled that Sebastian could soon be reentering the community,” wrote Sebastian’s mother, Cathy Smith, in an email. “We are convinced that he presents a danger to us and to the community at large.”

Carlile said the allegations made by Smith’s family “are in no record that I’m aware of; there’s no court records, no CPS records, there’s nothing.”

But Smith’s family allege Sebastian Smith has threatened his sisters with a knife, is manipulative toward one of his sisters who is developmentally delayed, and denied medical care for Sequoia, who he allegedly abused because she wouldn’t stop crying.

The now 6-month-old was hospitalized for months after the ordeal and was recently moved to foster care, where she undergoes 24-hour nursing care, her grandmother said. She is “profoundly and permanently disabled,” including being blind in one eye and likely deaf in both ears, her family says.

In order to post bond, Smith would have to cover 10 percent of the bond amount and put up something for collateral, which in most cases is property such as a house or car. Smith’s family says he doesn’t have any of those things, and they fear he could find a way to manipulate one of his sisters into helping him out.

Carlile, meanwhile, maintains that the family’s concerns were “all presented to the court by the prosecutor,” and that in any case, bail is intended to assure someone’s appearance in court, “not just to keep them in jail.”

His family also believes he’ll try to regain contact with his fiancee, Autumn Smith, who was apparently aware of Sequoia Smith’s injuries but didn’t alert anyone, according to court documents. Friends of Autumn’s say she remains in denial about what Smith allegedly did to Sequoia.

As of Thursday, Smith is still in jail at Spokane County Jail. And, according to Carlile, his new bond amount of $25,000 is “quite high” for someone in his situation.