Former principal of a Christian boarding school in Wayne County charged with molesting a student

Former director at A Christian boarding school in Missouri, which was closed in March amid harassment allegations, has been charged with sex crimes involving a former student.

Court records show Craig Wesley Smith Jr. He was charged in September by a Wayne County prosecutor with forcible sodomy and attempted forcible rape.

He is accused of forcing the teenager to perform sexual acts in the late 2000s, when she was a student at the local university. Christian Lighthouse Academy in Piedmont, approximately 209 kilometers south of St. Louis.

The probable cause statement said Smith told the girl he would kill her and “make it look like she committed suicide” if she told anyone.

Smith will appear in court in Wayne County on Thursday. Messages were left with Smith and his lawyer on Tuesday.

The school was managed by ABM Ministries, which has successfully helped students with problems, learning difficulties, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or other disorders. Lighthouse Christian Academy was closed after state criminal charges were filed against spouses Larry and Carmen Musgrave and teacher Caleb Sandoval.

The Musgraves were charged with first-degree kidnapping for allegedly locking a student in a room, but a Wayne County judge dismissed the charges on Oct. 15. It wasn’t immediately clear why. Prosecutor Ginger Koller Joyner declined to comment.

Sandoval was charged with child abuse or neglect and injuring a 15-year-old boy while boxing. He pleaded guilty in July and was placed on probation for five years.

A 2009 federal lawsuit accused Smith of sexual acts with an unnamed female student.

It was unclear whether she was the same girl referred to in the criminal case. Court records show ABM Ministries and Musgraves agreed to pay $750,000 in the settlement, and Smith agreed to pay $100,000.

Other Christian boarding schools in Missouri have faced allegations of abuse, both through criminal charges and lawsuits.

Agape boarding school in Stockton closed in 2023 after years of investigations and allegations of physical and sexual violence. Criminal cases against the longtime Agape doctor, who has been charged with several sex crimes, are still pending.

Circle of Hope Girls’ Ranch near Humansville closed in 2020.

Former owner Stephanie Householder is scheduled to go to trial next year on child abuse charges. Her husband, Boyd Householder, was charged with nearly 80 counts of abuse but died in June.

These schools were unaffiliated with each other and were not affiliated with any particular Christian denomination.

Allegations of abuse at Agape and Circle of Hope prompted a state law in 2021 requiring more stringent rules for such facilities. Previously, Missouri had virtually no oversight of religious boarding schools.