Judge Released Man Now Suspected Of Trying To Have Victims Killed

SALEM, MA -- Prosecutors who believe a Salisbury man charged with child rape was trying to have someone kill his two victims quickly moved to have his bail revoked Tuesday. Scott Smith, 38, was taken into custody on Tuesday. Smith was cleared last week to live with his mother in Danvers on $1,000 bail and with a requirement to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet by Salem Superior Court Judge Timothy Feeley.

The allegations that Smith tried to hire someone to kill his victims while in the Middleton jail came after last week's hearing where Feeley set bail. But Feeley released Smith despite agreeing with prosecutors that he still posed a danger, according to the Salem News, which first reported this story. Smith will be in court in front of Feeley on Thursday for a hearing.

After Smith was arrested earlier this year, two teenage girls came forward to say they had been sexually abused by him. Feeley has been under fire for a string of decisions this year that were seen as being too lenient, including a case in May when he ignored a prosecutor's request to impose a jail sentence for a convicted drug dealer.

For more on this story, see the Salem News. Never miss another local news story: Get free local news alerts right to your inbox.

Patch file photo via Shutterstock.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).