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Accused serial rapist Ikeie Smith arraigned on more home invasion, sexual assault charges

Posted at 11:49 AM, Sep 15, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-15 12:10:58-04

The man accused in a number of sexual assaults and home invasions was arraigned on more charges Thursday in Dearborn Heights.

Ikeie Smith, 32, of Redford Township, was charged in connection with two home invasions and sexual assaults in the city.

The first, according to the Wayne County prosecutor, happened on Dec. 9, 2013. In that case, Smith is charged with first degree home invasion and second degree criminal sexual conduct.

The other happened on Sept. 9, 2013. He is charged with first degree home invasion, second degree criminal sexual conduct and torture.

According to Dearborn police, Smith could be a suspect in 35 different home invasions and sexual assaults in multiple cities in metro Detroit.

Chief Ron Haddad said he is a suspect in three cases in Dearborn alone. He was taken into custody in Dearborn last week.

He is facing charges for home invasions and sexual assaults dating back to 2011.

It all started in July 2015 when Dearborn police detectives observed a pattern to home invasions near the Dearborn and Allen Park border than involved some sort of sexual assault.

In November 2015, a multi-jurisdictional serial home invasion and criminal sexual conduct task force was created. It involved Dearborn police, Michigan State Police, the FBI, Dearborn Heights police and many other agencies.

The task force reviewed hundreds of reports from multiple agencies in southeast Michigan, and determined that more than 30 cases were related. They vetted numerous suspects, cleared all prior suspects, and developed the suspect's modus operandi.

In August 2016, Livonia police got surveillance video of a suspicious person walking through a resident's yard, and the task force determined that person might be the suspect.

A month later, they received an anonymous tip via Crime Stoppers and investigated it. On Sept. 7, the suspect was taken into custody, where he admitted responsibility for several of the cases in different cities.

Police tell us he broke into homes and attacked women inside.

In at least one case, a woman was assaulted at knife point while her husband and kids slept in nearby bedrooms.