A former principal at a Missouri Christian boarding school is accused of abusing a student

By JIM SALTER The Associated Press

A former principal at a Christian boarding school in Missouri that closed in March amid abuse allegations has been charged with sex crimes involving a former student.

Craig Wesley Smith Jr. was charged by the prosecutor in Wayne County in September with forcible sodomy and attempted forcible rape, court records show. He is accused of forcing a teenage girl to perform sex acts in the late 2000s when she was a student at Lighthouse Christian Academy in Piedmont, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) south of St. Louis.

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

Smith faces a hearing Thursday in Wayne County. Messages were left Tuesday with Smith and his attorney.

ABM Ministries operated the school, which claimed success in helping students who were troubled, learning-impaired or dealing with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or other disorders. Lighthouse Christian Academy closed after state criminal charges were filed against the husband-and-wife owners, Larry and Carmen Musgrave, along with a teacher, Caleb Sandoval.

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

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

A federal lawsuit in 2009 accused Smith of sex acts with an unnamed female student. It wasn’t clear if it was the same girl cited in the criminal case. Court records show that ABM Ministries and the Musgraves agreed to pay $750,000 in a settlement, and Smith agreed to pay $100,000.

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

Agape Boarding School in Stockton closed in 2023 after years of investigations and allegations of physical and sexual abuse. Criminal cases are still pending against Agape’s longtime doctor, who is charged with several sex crimes.

Circle of Hope Girls’ Ranch near Humansville closed in 2020. A former owner, Stephanie Householder, is scheduled to go to trial next year on child abuse counts. Her husband, Boyd Householder, was charged with nearly 80 counts of abuse but died in June.

The schools were unrelated and were not affiliated with any particular Christian denomination.

Abuse allegations at Agape and Circle of Hope prompted a state law in 2021 requiring stricter rules for such facilities. Missouri previously had virtually no oversight for religious boarding schools.