Leake County Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse of a Minor

Jackson, MS - On November 10, 2026, a Leake County man pleaded guilty to the sexual abuse of a minor.

U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger and Robert Eikhoff, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Jackson Office, made the announcement.

According to court documents, Daunte Gage Smith, 22, engaged in sexual contact with a female minor who was older than 12 years of age but younger than 16 years of age at the time the offense. Court records show that the criminal conduct occurred in the Redwater Community of the Choctaw Indian Reservation beginning in March of 2025 and continuing until March of 2026.

Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on February 26, 2027, and faces up to fifteen years in prison and at least five years of federal supervision. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Choctaw Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Payne and Brian K. Burns and Special Assistant United States Attorney Kalleigh McCoy.