Local man arrested in Idaho on abuse charges
29-year-old accused of molesting children, ages 6 and 15, volunteered at area schools
A Houston man who volunteered at local schools to be around children has been arrested in Boise, Idaho, after he was charged here with molesting two children, including a 6-year-old boy, according to Houston police.
Lee Smith III, 29, is charged with sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child for alleged attacks on Aug. 1, 2017, at an apartment complex in the 13100 block of Northborough Drive. The other child, authorities said, was 15.
“He did gain the trust of these children’s parents and was able to find his way into their home and eventually prey on the children,” David Yoon, the Houston Police Department special investigator of Smith’s case, said at a news conference Thursday. “Upon the parents confronting the suspect, he fled.”
It was difficult to get in touch with the family after the incident, Yoon said, because they “moved around a lot to get away from this situation.”
‘Very active and clever’
Smith, who police said has a criminal history, has reportedly been known to dress as a doctor and pose as a pediatrician. Yoon said that he had embroidered a lab coat with his name and the label “pediatrician” but that there were no reports of him using hospital facilities to access children.
In a statement to the police, Smith reportedly said “he volunteered a lot at schools and activities places where he would be around children,” Yoon said. “He was very active and clever.”
HPD confirmed that he had volunteered at the Alief Indepen dent School District and are working on verifying his claim of volunteering at other public agencies in Houston.
In a statement, Alief ISD confirmed Smith “volunteered fewer than 10 times total at Mata Intermediate School and Holub Middle School in 2017.” His volunteer work was clerical and involved interactions only with adults, not children, the district said.
Alief ISD stated it submits background checks of all its volunteers to an outside vendor, who didn’t find a criminal history for Smith at the time. But when Alief ISD checked back with the vendor after Smith’s charges in September, it said “the vendor researched the background check report and indicated that a 2011 criminal charge was cleared in error because of the dismissed status of that charge.”
“We are severely disappointed
Other accusers
that the volunteer background check vendor which we rely upon to ensure volunteers are properly vetted, dropped the ball entirely,” the statement said. “We are working to ensure that this never happens again, which includes re-running background checks on all Alief ISD volunteers.”
Alief school officials were apparently referring to an indecency with a child charge Houston police filed against Smith in October 2011, when he was accused of having sexual contact with a 10year old girl in 2010, according to district court records. A Houston police investigator interviewed Smith, who acknowledged he was living with the young girl’s mother and caring for the child. However, he told the officer he was homosexual and not attracted to females.
A Harris County grand jury nobilled the case, court records indicate.
Yoon said police have received multiple calls through Crime Stoppers from people claiming they were victimized by Smith.
Earlier this month, police sought the public’s help in finding Smith.
Yoon said that he had met with Smith in late September but that all communication with him had ceased after that. Smith was scheduled for a Sept. 24 court appearance, according to court records, and a warrant had been issued for his arrest.
Boise police arrested Smith on Sunday. The silver Mercedes Benz sedan in which Smith had last been seen was spotted in a parking lot with a flat tire; Smith was in the driver’s seat.
Officers confirmed he was wanted in Houston and took him into custody without incident. Smith is now at the Ada County Jail, awaiting extradition to Houston.
“(The children’s mother) was elated and sobbing,” Yoon said.