A married Missouri substitute teacher was reportedly arrested on Tuesday, November 12, for manipulating school students to engage in sexual encounters in exchange for money, alcohol and drugs.
30-year-old Carissa Jane Smith, who formerly taught in the Dixon School District in Missouri, allegedly offered the students hush money to keep these illicit exchanges on the down low. According to the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, these encounters occurred from August 2023 to September 2024. The US Sun reported that the former long-term substitute teacher would have sex with students at her home and several other locations. One of these purported instances even involved her sleeping with a boy on a gravel road.
Former middle school victim speaks up against US teacher
A victim, who was a middle schooler at the time of the incident, mentioned in his witness statement, obtained by NBC’s KYTV, that he met the married woman who was substituting for his class. She allegedly gave him her Snapchat account details.
{{/usCountry}}A victim, who was a middle schooler at the time of the incident, mentioned in his witness statement, obtained by NBC’s KYTV, that he met the married woman who was substituting for his class. She allegedly gave him her Snapchat account details.
{{/usCountry}}The New York Post noted court documents stating that Smith eventually “began sending them pictures of her breasts and buttocks, along with her nude in the shower.”
Thereafter, she reportedly offered the young victim money to have sex with her, threatening him to keep things quiet. She would typically offer $100 to the students, and would sometimes even perform oral sex on them. On other occasions, she additionally paid them alcohol and marijuana.
In one reported encounter, Smith’s friend, Lacey Beam, also smoked marijuana with her and the victim. Later, the alleged predator dropped her at her home, taking off for McDonald’s with the boy because she wanted to avoid her husband (who was with their children) at home.
Charges against former Missouri substitute teacher Carissa Jane Smith
The authorities have taken into consideration that more potential victims could come forward. If that happens, Smith could be hit with additional charges.
As of now, she’s charged with a total of 19 crimes – eight counts of statutory rape, one count of sodomy, three counts of sexual contact with a student, two counts of sexual misconduct with a student, one count of patronising prostitution, two counts of sexual trafficking a child and two counts of hindering prosecution.
Following her arrest earlier this week, she’s being held on a $250,000 bond.
According to court documents, Carissa Smith was employed as a long-term substitute for Dixon Middle School in September 2022. She was eventually hired as a paraprofessional and long-term substitute for Dixon High School. The 30-year-old woman, who is married with kids, resigned from her post in August 2024.