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

Craig Wesley Smith Jr. was charged by the Wayne County District Attorney in September with forcible sodomy and attempted forcible rape, court records show. He is accused of forcing a teenage girl to perform sexual acts in the late 2000s when she was a student at Lighthouse Christian Academy in Piedmont, about 130 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 killed herself” if she told anyone.

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

ABM Ministries ran the school, which claimed success in helping students with problems, learning disabilities, or those dealing with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or other disorders. Lighthouse Christian Academy closed after state criminal charges were filed against 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 charges on Oct. 15. It was not immediately clear why. Prosecutor Ginger Koller Joyner declined to comment.

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

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

Other christian boarding schools in missouri they faced allegations of abuse in both criminal charges and trials.

Agape Boarding School in Stockton was closed in 2023 after years of investigations and allegations of physical and sexual abuse. Criminal cases are still pending against him Agape’s longtime doctorwho is charged with multiple sex crimes.

Circle of Hope Farm for Girls near Humansville closed in 2020. A former ownerStephanie Householder, is scheduled to go to trial 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 connected or affiliated with any particular Christian denomination.

Allegations of abuse at Agape and Circle of Hope prompted a state law in 2021 imposing stricter rules for such facilities. Previously, Missouri had virtually no oversight of religious boarding schools.

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