A teacher who was married has been sentenced to a 10-year prison term for engaging in inappropriate relationships with students, offering them money, drugs, and alcohol. Carissa Jane Smith, 30, faced charges related to paying students for sexual favors, supplying them with alcohol and marijuana. The former substitute teacher was apprehended in November last year and accused of numerous offenses, including statutory rape and child sex trafficking. In a plea deal this September, she admitted to lesser charges.

During the court proceedings, disturbing details emerged, such as a student alleging that Smith coerced him into sexual activities. Additionally, she reportedly destroyed a student’s phone to prevent the dissemination of incriminating footage. In another instance, a student was lured by a peer under false pretenses and taken to Smith’s residence for exploitation while the acquaintance waited outside.

Further revelations emerged, indicating that Smith’s husband, too, threatened a student with a baseball bat after being informed that a compromising video existed. One victim disclosed that the illicit interactions with Smith began in August 2023 when the student was in middle school and she was substituting for his class. Police records revealed that Smith shared her Snapchat details with students, sending them explicit images.

Law enforcement officials stated that the teacher engaged in sexual acts with students at her home and various other locations, including gravel roads, over a year. The Dixon School District condemned Smith’s alleged misconduct as “disturbing and distressing.”