MIDDLETOWN, DELAWARE — Outrage is mounting after former St. Anne’s Episcopal School head Justin Lee Smith received a four-year prison sentence despite being charged with 25 felony counts of dealing in child sexual abuse material.
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Smith, 44, who also previously led St. Mark’s Episcopal Academy in Cocoa, Florida, was arrested in January after Delaware’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force traced dozens of disturbing videos back to his home. Many of the files showed children as young as six being violently assaulted by adult men.
Justin Lee Smith Mugshot
Graphic and Disturbing Evidence
Court records show Smith used multiple Kik Messenger accounts to upload and distribute videos over several months in 2024. The material was not isolated or accidental: investigators documented a pattern of deliberate sharing, with Smith juggling different usernames to spread dozens of clips.
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Some of the files were short, lasting under 30 seconds, while others were more than a minute long. Investigators testified that children in the videos were often crying, screaming, or otherwise showing clear signs of distress as they were assaulted.
“This wasn’t just possession. This was distribution. He was actively pushing this content into the world, ensuring that these children’s worst moments would be replayed again and again,” said one parent after the sentencing.
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The Plea Deal Sparks Outrage
Despite the mountain of charges, prosecutors struck a deal that saw 24 counts dropped. Smith pleaded guilty to just one felony count and was sentenced to four years in prison, five years of probation, and 25 years on the sex offender registry.
Justin Lee Smith will spend four years in prison for dealing in child porn In this photo he reads to students in Louisiana, where he worked from 2019 to 2021. (Obtained by WHYY News)
The decision stunned parents. “Well, it makes me want to vomit. Hearing that he’s going to be out in four years is disgusting,” said Stefanie Novak, a mother of two St. Anne’s students. “Every single one of those 25 charges represented a child. Dropping them felt like erasing those children from the case.”
Another parent, who asked not to be named, added: “If this had been bank fraud, or if he had stolen millions, he’d likely be looking at decades. But here we’re talking about children — children in pain, children screaming — and he’ll be home before the preschoolers he once greeted at car line are even in high school. That’s not justice.”
A Pattern of Concern Ignored
This is not the first time Smith’s behavior raised questions. At Southfield School in Louisiana, where he worked from 2019 to 2021, parents reported that he once emailed families referencing a porn actor and the word “threesome.” He was also accused of an affair with a staff member. Despite this, Southfield provided him with service letters and positive references when he moved on.
Smith later held leadership roles at Florida schools, including St. Mark’s Episcopal Academy, before being hired at St. Anne’s. References from both Louisiana and Florida described him in glowing terms.
Families Feel Betrayed
St. Anne’s Board President Harry Baetjer has tried to reassure families, emphasizing that background checks had been conducted and that no students at St. Anne’s were victimized in the videos. But for many parents, that reassurance is hollow.
“I’m appalled at the school for putting him in charge,” Novak said. “Now, hearing he basically got a slap on the wrist only solidifies my decision to leave St. Anne’s.”
Others echoed the same sentiment: that both the justice system and the hiring system failed to protect children.
“Parents are told to trust schools, to trust that background checks work, and that the justice system will hold predators accountable,” one parent said. “What this case shows is that none of those systems protected us — or those children in the videos.”
Lasting Impact
Smith will serve his sentence in state prison before beginning probation. Prosecutors emphasized that the conviction ensures he will never again work around children or live near a school. But for parents, the damage is done.
“These weren’t just ‘files,’” Novak said. “They were real children living through nightmares. To say that four years is enough for that is a disgrace.”
