PULLMAN, WA – The 33-year-old Pullman man who raped a young girl multiple times and recorded video of the sexual assaults has been sentenced to between 23 and a half years and life in prison.

Lane Taylor Hunting Smith pleaded guilty last month to four counts of 1st degree child rape in Whitman County Superior Court.  Smith was arrested by Pullman Police in January after receiving a report that he raped a young girl several times.  Detectives interviewed the victim and found that smith recorded the sexual attacks on his phone.

Smith received a sentence of up to life in prison during a hearing Thursday.  Judge Roger Sandberg had to decide how long before Smith would be eligible for parole while considering mitigating factors.  The range for parole eligibility in this case is between 20 and 26 and a half years.  Smith’s guilty plea is a mitigating factor that Judge Sandberg had to consider.  Judge Sandberg chose the middle of the range for parole eligibility because Smith didn’t make his victim testify at trial.  You can listen to some of Judge Sandberg’s sentencing decision below.

Judge Sandberg also ordered that if Smith is released from prison he is banned from having contact with children with no exceptions.  If he is released he will be on lifetime probation and have to register as a sex offender for life.