Utica Man Arrested for Stabbing, Shooting in Domestic Dispute

A Utica man, Christian Castro, was arrested and charged with two counts of criminal sexual act and one count of rape after allegedly having sexual contact with a female child under the age of 11 during the summer of 2021. The investigation began following a report to the Oneida County Child Advocacy Center, which led to his indictment by a grand jury and subsequent arrest in Whitesboro. Castro was remanded to jail on $40,000 bail, and an order of protection was issued for the child, with victim services offered. In a separate incident, Paris Smith of Utica was arrested after a series of violent domestic disputes involving a stabbing and a shooting at his ex-wife's residence. Police say Smith stabbed his ex-wife's boyfriend, later returned to fire multiple shots at the house and a parked vehicle, and subsequently sent threatening messages to the victims. Smith was apprehended following a lengthy standoff, and a loaded handgun was recovered; he faces multiple charges including assault, weapons possession, and harassment.