Head of St. Anne’s Episcopal arrested on 25 counts of child porn

St. Anne’s Episcopal will search for an interim head of school and explore increasing counseling services for students.

Justin Smith, head of school at Middletown’s St. Anne’s Episcopal School, has been arrested and charged with 25 felony counts of Dealing in Child Pornography.

“I write on behalf of the St. Anne’s Episcopal School board of trustees with shocking and deeply troubling news,” said Harry Baetjer, president, on behalf of the school’s Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees in a statement.

The 43-year-old was arrested following an Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigation led by the Delaware Department of Justice and Delaware State Police. 

The investigation was spurred by multiple CyberTips generated by Kik Messenger warnings that accounts belonging to Smith had uploaded Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) from Smith’s IP address. 

RELATED: Ex-Tower Hill director faces 9 years in prison for child porn

Upon receiving the CyberTips, detectives from the Delaware State Police and investigators from the Delaware Department of Justice executed

Harry Baetjer

search  warrants on the accounts, revealing additional CSAM. 

“[Smith] is barred from campus and placed on administrative leave,” Baetjer said. “We are sincerely grateful to the DOJ for completing their investigation very rapidly. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement.”

Attorney General Kathy Jennings said the evidence in the investigation is shocking and abhorrent.

“There is absolutely nothing more important than protecting our children – especially when it comes to adults in a position of trust,” Jennings said. “I am deeply grateful for the ICAC Task Force’s fierce dedication to this mission.” 

Smith has been in his role at St. Anne’s Episcopal School since July of 2024.

Next steps for St. Anne’s Episcopal

“This is devastating,” Baetjer said. “It evokes grief, anxiety, fear, anger, and myriad other emotions. Nevertheless, we are in the process of developing a plan of action to meet the needs of all our students, parents, faculty, and staff.”

Helping families cope with this situation is the priority, he said, and counseling is available at the school for students, and the school is exploring solutions to increase that availability.

There is no suggestion or evidence that a child of St. Anne’s Episcopal or its community is a victim. 

Given the broad scope of the investigation to date, Baetjer said the school does not expect further investigation to give rise to additional concerns or anything involving the school’s community. 

“Smith is not charged with contacting a child, and investigators are not currently aware of any victims affiliated with the school or community,” he said. “However, given the nature of his work and the fact that it brought him into regular contact with children, the state is seeking any information the public may have about this case.”

Anyone with information should contact the Delaware ICAC Task Force at (302) 739-2030.

Smith was arraigned and committed to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on $625,000 cash bail.

“It is our fundamental commitment as a school to ensure that child predatory behavior has no place at St. Anne’s, and we did everything in our power to make certain that something like this would not happen in our community,” Baetjer said. “We ran a background check, and we checked references. There were no red flags. But, the reality is that sex offender registries, criminal background checks, and reference checks are not guarantees that something unlawful will not occur.”

The school will work in the coming days to appoint an interim head of school, determine whether there should be age-appropriate messaging to students, and identify other ways to support the well-being of students and the community.

Jarek Rutz

Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNN’s Michael Smerconish’s YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.

Jarek can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at (215) 450-9982. Follow him on Twitter @jarekrutz and on LinkedIn.