Lestina Smith: 17-Year-Old Michigan Woman Faces Life Imprisonment For Raping Man At Knife Point

A Michigan teenager could spend the rest of her life behind bars if she is found guilty of forcing a man to have sex against his will.

Saginaw resident Lestina Marie Smith, 17, was arraigned in state court on two felony counts of first-degree sexual misconduct on Tuesday for the alleged crime, so claims the Daily Mirror. According to state law officials, on January 11, Smith allegedly confronted a currently unidentified 19-year-old male and pulled out a knife on him, before ordering the victim to perform both oral and vaginal sex on her.

Because of the nature of the supposed crime, details regarding the victim’s name and the incident itself have not been released to the media. Additionally, it is unknown whether Smith had a relationship with the individual beforehand or if she even knew him at all.

At the conclusion of the arraignment, Smith was denied bail and ordered back to Saginaw County Hall, where she had been contained since the report was first made. Her next court appearance, which will focus on preliminary examinations regarding her possible cause, is set to take place on February 3.

Although they are less reported than their male-on-female counterparts, anti-sexual assault organization RAINN estimates that at least one of out of every 10 rape crimes are female-on-male, with many of the victims falling in the same age range as the man Lestina Smith allegedly raped (18-24).

“It is only a myth in our society that men are not sexually assaulted, or that they are only sexually assaulted in prisons,” the University of Michigan’s Student Life website explains in detail.

“In fact, in between 9-10% of all rape survivors outside of criminal institutions are male (U.S. Department of Justice, 1994; TAAS, 2014). Furthermore, estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease control (2005) reported that 16% of men experienced sexual abuse by the age of 18. The U.S. Department of Justice records an average of greater than 12,000 reported sexual assaults of men annually, and predicts that if unreported assaults are included, the actual number of men who are sexually assaulted in the United States each year is approximately 60,000 (U.S. Department of Justice, 1994).”

Incidentally, the way that most of the public seems to react to cases of women raping men of varied ages, is quite telling of the reasons why the matter often goes unreported.

Just recently, as noted by the Inquisitr back in November of 2016, 24-year-old English teacher Alexandria Vera from Houston, Texas, was charged with continuous sexual assault of a child, which like the case of Lestina Smith, carried a mandatory life sentence in prison. After pleading down to aggravated sexual assault of a child in November, she was instead granted a 10-year long sentence.

Alexandria Vera told investigators she had an abortion after speaking with Child Protective Services. https://t.co/meoVb07ITX

— ABC 13 News – WSET (@ABC13News) November 17, 2016

During court proceedings, Vera confirmed that for nearly nine months between 2015 and early 2016, she and her teenage lover had sex with one another and that she became pregnant from their ongoing tryst (she ultimately aborted the fetus).

Also, the boy’s family was said to have not only accepted the coupling but often allowed the Stovall Middle School instructor to visit their home for parties and gatherings, where she and the teenager, now 14-years-old, openly displayed their feelings for one another in plain view of other adults. Unsurprisingly, several internet users — all of them male — treated the troublesome matter as one they hoped to “suffer” from.

“I wish I had a teacher like that when I was thirteen,” Washington Post reader murphyjim41 shared.

“Or fourteen, or fifteen, or sixteen, or seventeen.”

Others, however, were quick to point out the irony of a woman like Vera or Smith being seen as some kind of savior.

“Sadly, this boy will be a legend (in the “positive” way),” a poster named cuthbert51 relayed. “Thanks for creating an atmosphere where that double standard can be a thing, society.”

The family of Lestina Smith could not be reached for comment.

[Featured Image by Saginaw County Sheriff’s Office]