A Middle school teacher in Missouri has been sentenced to ten years in prison after she was accused of paying her underage students for sex with cash, alcohol and marijuana.
Carissa Smith, who previously worked as a substitute teacher at Dixon Middle School in Dixon, Missouri, received her decade long sentence on November 19, per local outlet KRCG.
Additionally, Fox News reported that her sentence includes six years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for the endangering the welfare of a child charge and another two years for each sexual contact charge.
Smith, 30, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual contact with a student, as well as one count of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child during a September court date.
Who Plays Dorothy Gale in ‘Wicked: For Good’? Meet Actress Bethany Weaver
She initially faced multiple felony charges, which included “statutory rape, sex trafficking, statutory sodomy, sexual contact with a student, hindering the prosecution of a felony and a charge for patronizing prostitution,” according to court records viewed by People.
The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department previously shared information about the case in a November 2024 Facebook post, explaining that a warrant was issued for Smith for $250,000 on November 8, 2024. Four days later, she was arrested and was held in the Pulaski County Detention Center.
A probable cause affidavit stated that several underage students told investigators they had sex with Smith in exchange for money, according to People.
While working as a substitute, Smith exchanged Snapchat information with the students. The affidavit stated that she sent nude pictures of herself to one of her victims before they eventually had sex. Smith went on to pick up several of her underage students from their homes and would either have sex with them in her car or at her own house while her husband was out of town.
Additionally, it was reported that Smith paid several students cash or sent them money via CashApp in exchange for sex, per the probable cause affidavit states. One victim told police they were paid $130 in order to have sex with her, per USA Today.
Who Plays Dorothy Gale in ‘Wicked: For Good’? Meet Actress Bethany Weaver
The probable cause affidavit also claimed she even offered the underage children marijuana or alcohol on a handful of occasions.
While speaking to the police, the victims claimed that Smith would attempt to intimidate them in order to cover up her actions, per the affidavit.
After Smith was arrested, Dixon R-I School District Superintendent Travis Bohrer wrote a letter to students’ families to address the situation. “This is very disturbing and distressing information for everyone in our school community,” Bohrer wrote, according to USA Today.
