Former head of Southfield School arrested for dealing in child pornography
By Johnette Magner
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SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KTBS) — The former head of a Shreveport school has been arrested in Delaware on 25 counts of child pornography.
Justin Smith, 43, who was employed at Southfield School from July 2019 through December 2021, had led St. Anne’s Episcopal School in Middletown since July. St. Anne’s is private kindergarten through 8th grade school.
Smith was fired after his arrest.
According to Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings, there is no evidence suggesting he harmed students.
“While there is currently no indication that Smith’s crimes are connected to his role at the school, St. Anne’s Episcopal School is fully cooperating with the Department and ICAC as they conduct their investigation,” Jennings said.
Delaware PBS affiliate WHYY is reporting court documents say Smith used several online aliases including “agoodtimejobud” and “anythinggoesbud” on the file-sharing app Kik Messenger, which he used to download and distribute “at least two dozen explicit videos.”
WHYY further reports that court records state many of the videos included girls, ranging in age from 6 to 16, being “forcibly raped by men.”
Southfield School released the following statement about Smith’s arrest:
“We are shocked and disturbed to learn of the news regarding our former Head of School. We have no indication or report to suggest there were inappropriate interactions with Southfield students.
While we do not discuss personnel matters, Mr. Smith’s departure was not related to interactions with students or children. We take any report of inappropriate behavior very seriously, and we have a process in place to investigate claims thoroughly and take appropriate action, if necessary.
We are deeply committed to the safety of our students, and we take great care to cultivate and maintain healthy adult-student relationships. Our focus remains on supporting our community and nurturing our students to develop a lifelong love of learning and become self-confident scholars.”
Following his arrest Delaware, Smith was booked in Howard R. Young Correctional Institution with a $625,000 bond. If convicted, he reportedly faces two to five years in prison for each of the 25 counts.
The Delaware ICAC Task Force is requesting that anyone with information on this case call 302-739-2030.
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