Former juvenile officer turned tutor now facing additional charges of sexual crimes against minors in Texas

In addition to his existing charge of indecency with a child by contact, 28-year-old Isaiah Smith now faces charges of improper sexual activity with a person in custody, and indecency with a child.

According to KXAN, the Office of Inspector General at the Texas Juvenile Justice Department hit Smith with the aforementioned charges on January 10 in connection with his time working at the Giddings State School, a juvenile correctional facility in Lee County.

Improper sexual activity with a person in custody is a first-degree felony and brings a punishment of up to life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, or between 10 and 99 years behind bars. Indecency with a child is a second-degree felony punishable by between 2 and 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Smith was hired as a volunteer at the correctional facility in May 2021 and was eventually brought on as a juvenile corrections officer about a year later. As KXAN reports, however, he was fired after just six weeks. An investigation into allegations of inappropriate contact was launched soon after.

Despite being barred from employment at any juvenile facility in the state, Smith managed to find a job at a nonprofit tutoring group, which placed him at Atkins High School in southwest Austin in September 2023. He was fired from that position less than two months later, and another investigation was launched into allegations he inappropriately touched a male student.

On December 8, Smith was arrested and charged in connection with the Atkins High School incident. He has been held in the Travis County Jail since.