WAYNE COUNTY, Mo. (AP) – A former principal at a Christian boarding school in Wayne County that closed in March amid abuse allegations has been charged with sexual abuse crimes involving a former student. Court records show Craig Wesley Smith Jr. was charged in September with forcible sodomy and attempted forcible rape.
Smith is accused of forcing a teenage girl to perform sex acts with him. The abuse allegedly took place from 2006 through May of 2008 when the victim was a student at Lighthouse Christian Academy located near Piedmont. Smith faces a court hearing Thursday. ABM Ministries operated the school which claimed success in helping students who were troubled, learning-impaired or dealing with attention-deficit and/or hyperactivity disorder, along with other disorders.
