Smyrna Man, 66, Charged With Sexual Abuse Of Juvenile

NASHVILLE, TN — A Smyrna man is behind bars and facing multiple charges involving the sexual abuse of a juvenile victim, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced Friday. J.C. Meeks, 66, was arrested Friday morning and is being held in the Rutherford County Jail on a $200,000 bond, the TBI said.

On Wednesday, a Rutherford County grand jury indicted Meeks on two counts of aggravated sexual battery, two counts of rape of a child and five counts of statutory rape by an authority figure, the TBI said. (For weather updates and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Middle Tennessee Patch morning newsletter.)

Meeks also was indicted on one count of aggravated rape, one count of sexual battery by an authority figure, two counts of aggravated assault, and one count of casual exchange of a Schedule II substance to a minor.

The charges stem from a TBI inquiry in Rutherford County, the agency said in a statement. On Aug. 18, agents began investigating allegations of the sexual abuse of an unidentified juvenile victim.

During the investigation, the agents received information that Meeks, a friend of the juvenile's family, had sexually assaulted the juvenile multiple times between 2012 and 2016, the TBI said.

Images: Patch, above; below, J.C. Meeks (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation)