June 26, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
A 48-year-old Smithville man was handed a 20-year prison sentence Monday in a 2020 child sex crime investigation.
David Wayne Nichols, who was indicted for rape of a child (2 counts) and aggravated sexual battery entered a plea to one charge of aggravated sexual battery. Nichols received a 20-year sentence to serve with the possibility of 15% good credit. His name will be listed on the sex offender registry, and he will be under community supervision for life. The other counts against him will be dismissed. Nichols was given jail credit of 817 days.
Nichols appeared in Putnam County Criminal Court for the sentencing Monday.
At the request of 13th District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway, in August 2020, TBI agents began investigating a report of a sexual offense that had occurred in Smithville earlier that month. As the result of the investigation, agents developed information that David Nichols was responsible for the sexual assault of the victim. The offenses allegedly occurred between April 1, 2018 and August 6, 2020.
On March 29th, 2021 the DeKalb County Grand Jury returned indictments charging Nichols with two counts of Rape of a Child and one count of Aggravated Sexual Battery. Nichols was arrested by members of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department and TBI agents. He was booked into the DeKalb County Jail.