Former Carl Junction teacher arrested on child porn, stalking charges

A former Carl Junction teacher has been arrested on allegations of possessing child pornography and for alleged stalking of a minor.

Carl Junction Police took 52-year-old Craig S. Smith into custody after an extensive investigation into inappropriate behavior toward a student.

The Carl Junction School District website last listed Smith as a Junior High Vocal Music teacher.

Search warrants at Smith’s home and workplace led to the seizure and forensic analysis of his personal and work issued electronic devices, which then led to the discovery of more than 600 images of child pornography on two of Smith’s school-issued devices.

A newly posted probable cause statement says those victims ranged in age from six months to 17 years old.

Police say it is important to emphasize that no images of the stalking victim were included in this material.

They say the stalking charge is based on a pattern of concerning behavior directed toward a minor student over the last several years.

Newly posted court documents say since 2019, Smith sent thousands of electronic communications to Victim 1. Most of these communications were initiated by Smith, outside of school hours, unrelated to school activities, and many contained inappropriate content.

The school reportedly had disciplined Smith, but his inappropriate behavior continued.

Smith is currently in custody and being held on a $300,000 cash-only bond.

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