LEWISTON – A convicted child rapist and ax murderer has been sent back to prison for violating terms of his probation by having contact with children.

Jeffrey Smith, 31, was accused of violating his probation a week after being released from prison last year. He was ordered to spend two more years at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham after a hearing this week in Androscoggin County Superior Court.

When Smith moved to the Hope Haven Mission in Lewiston after his release from prison in November, he helped fuel an outcry from community leaders who claimed that a disproportionate number of sex offenders were moving to Lewiston.

Prosecutors said he violated conditions of his probation at least three times by interacting with children at the mission and going to an area known to be frequented by children.

“This is why we notify the public when a sex offender comes to the city, and we feel this person is likely to re-offend,” said Lewiston police Sgt. Michael McGonagle. “The community can help us keep an eye on the offenders.”

Deputy District Attorney Craig Turner said Smith was charged in 1983 with killing a man with a hatchet, and later of molesting a boy just months after his release from prison.

He was sent to prison again for a 1993 conviction for raping a 4-year-old boy.