An investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has resulted in the indictment and arrest of a Smithville man on charges of rape of a child.

At the request of 13th District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway, in August 2020, agents began investigating a report of a sexual offense that had occurred in Smithville earlier in the month. As the result, officers developed information 45-year-old David Wayne Nichols was allegedly responsible for the sexual assault of the victim.

This past Monday (March 29, 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 today (April 1, 2021) by members of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department and TBI agents. He was booked into the DeKalb County Jail, where he is currently being held without bond.

He will be arraigned soon in criminal court.