A former substitute teacher from Missouri has been sentenced to a decade in prison for a disturbing case of sexual abuse involving students, where she exchanged cash, alcohol, and drugs for sexual acts.
The Charges and Guilty Plea
Carissa Jane Smith, a 31-year-old from Dixon, Missouri, was arrested in November 2024 on a total of 19 counts, which included statutory rape and sexual contact with a student, according to the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office. In a significant development in September, Smith pleaded guilty to reduced charges: one count of endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of sexual contact with a student.
Smith was employed by the Dixon School District as a paraprofessional and a long-term substitute teacher. The district confirmed that she resigned from her position in August 2024, prior to her sentencing.
Details of the Abuse
Court documents reveal a pattern of predatory behavior. The sheriff's office stated in a probable cause statement that Smith offered students money, marijuana, and alcohol in return for sex or for allowing her to perform oral sex on them.
The illicit encounters allegedly took place at her home when her husband was away, or in secluded locations such as on the side of the road or on gravel roads. On multiple occasions, Smith reportedly paid the victims at least $100 for sexual acts.
One victim disclosed to investigators that Smith first approached him for sex when he was still in middle school. The teacher allegedly instructed all the victims to keep the encounters a secret to avoid getting into trouble.
Aftermath and Sentencing
The case took another troubling turn when, according to one victim's account cited in the probable cause statement, Smith's husband confronted them with a baseball bat. This occurred after Smith told her husband that the students were attempting to blackmail her with a video that showed her smoking marijuana with them.
Ultimately, the court handed down a 10-year prison sentence. This sentence is composed of six years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for the charge of endangering the welfare of a child, followed by two-year terms for each of the two counts of sexual contact with a student.
