OSBURN - An Osburn man was charged with rape on Wednesday following his early morning arrest in connection to a sexual assault in Osburn last week.

Justin Hurley Smith, 33, was booked at the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office and formally charged with one count of rape, a charge that was enhanced due to the use of a deadly weapon according to the Prosecutor's Office.

Smith's bond has been set at $300,000 and a no-contact order was created to protect the victim in this case.

On Friday, July 30, some time after 2 a.m., a 32-year-old woman from the Osburn area left a local establishment and was sexually assaulted while walking home alone.

It was the latest in a series of sexual assaults in the Silver Valley that have shaken the community.

The reported incidents of rape began the evening of May 28 in Wallace. Following that night, another sexual assault involving two acquaintances occurred the night of June 19, and on July 12 another rape was reported in Wallace.

Smith has not been named as a suspect in any of the other attacks.

A task force comprised of the cities of Osburn, Kellogg, Pinehurst, the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office, the Shoshone County Women's Resource Center, the North Idaho Violent Crimes Task Force and the Shoshone County Prosecutor's Office is investigating the attacks.

To help answer questions and ease concerns from the community, a town hall meeting is scheduled at the Osburn VFW Hall at 6 tonight.