Former principal of Wayne County Christian boarding school accused of abusing a student

A former director of a Christian boarding school in Missouri, which closed in March amid abuse allegations, has been accused of sex crimes involving a former student.

Craig Wesley Smith Jr. was charged by Wayne County prosecutors 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 while she was still a university student. Lighthouse Christian Academy in Piedmont, about 129 miles south of St. Louis.

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

Smith has 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 struggling, had learning disabilities or were dealing with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or other disorders. Lighthouse Christian Academy was closed after the state filed criminal charges against its 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 dismissed the charge on Oct. 15. It was not immediately clear why. Prosecutor Ginger Koller Joyner declined to 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 sentenced to five years’ probation.

In 2009, Smith was accused in a federal lawsuit of engaging in sex acts with an unnamed female student.

It was not clear whether it was the same girl named in the criminal case. Court records show ABM Ministries and the Musgraves agreed to pay $750,000 in settlement, and Smith agreed to pay $100,000.

Other Christian boarding schools in Missouri have faced allegations of abuse 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 accused of several sexual crimes.

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

A former owner, Stephanie Householder, will appear in court next year on child abuse charges. Her husband, Boyd Householder, was charged with nearly 80 counts of abuse but died in June.

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

Allegations of abuse at Agape and Circle of Hope led to a state law in 2021 requiring stricter regulations for such facilities. Missouri previously had virtually no oversight of religious boarding schools.