‘Makes me want to vomit’: Ex-religious school leader in Delaware who shared child abuse videos gets 24 of 25 counts dropped

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Stefanie Novak felt sick to her stomach in February when the leader of her children’s religious school in Delaware — the man who helped her kindergartener out of his car seat most mornings — was arrested on 25 counts of felony dealing in child pornography.

Justin Lee Smith, who led St. Anne’s Episcopal School in Middleton since July 2024, had been using a file-sharing app to download and distribute at least two dozen child sex videos, state police said in court records. Many clips allegedly showed girls from about the ages of 6 to 16 being forcibly raped by men.

“Knowing he physically ever touched my child, whether it was in a sexual way or completely benign, makes my skin crawl,” Novak said.

Novak had a similar reaction this week when she learned prosecutors had dropped all but one of the 25 counts in a plea bargain with the 44-year-old Smith. On Tuesday, Superior Court Judge Calvin Scott Jr. sentenced Smith to four years in prison and five years of probation. He’ll also have to register as a sex offender for 25 years.

“Well, it makes me want to vomit,’’ Novak said after learning about the resolution of the case. “Hearing that he’s going to be out in four years is disgusting.”

Prosecutor Kristina Bensley cut the deal with Smith and defense lawyer John Deckers on Tuesday during a court hearing that was scheduled to be a final case review before trial. Instead, Smith returned to prison, where he has been held on $625,000 cash bail since his Jan. 31 arrest, as a convicted sex offender.

Bensley and Deckers would not discuss the case with WHYY News.

Caroline Harrison, press secretary for Attorney General Kathy Jennings, did not specify why so many counts were dropped but said Smith is paying for his crimes.

“This conviction was based on the evidence in the case and includes years of jail time and, just as importantly, the assurance that this defendant will never work with children or live near a school again,’’ Harrison said.

“Our Internet Crimes Against Children team eats, sleeps, and breathes these cases; they consume their days and keep them up at night. While the defendant did not victimize any St. Anne’s students, we also understand the heartbreak and rage that a parent feels when their child is even in the proximity of these types of cases.”

‘At least now there’s closure,’ says St. Anne’s board president

St. Anne’s, which has 305 students in preschool through eighth grade, fired Smith immediately after his arrest. This week, board president Harry Baetjer thanked police and prosecutors for winning a conviction and said the school community is focused on moving forward.

“It’s a relief obviously for the final steps to have happened,’’ said Baetjer, who would not comment on the merits of the state’s deal with Smith.

“At least now there’s closure, so we can now totally put the situation behind us and, as we have been since practically the moment Justin was arrested, to try to concentrate on the future.”

Baetjer said after Smith’s arrest that St. Anne’s officials found no red flags while vetting him for hire.

But days later, WHYY News learned that Smith had alarmed some parents while running another private Christian school in Louisiana.

While at the prestigious Southfield School from 2019 to 2021, which, like St. Anne’s, educates preschoolers through eighth graders, Smith sent families an email, obtained by WHYY News, that included a porn actor’s name and the word “threesome.” He also had an affair with a female staff member amid accusations of lurid behavior inside the school, parents said.

Smith later held leadership roles at two Christian schools in Florida.

Baetjer’s update in February said officials at the Louisiana school not only didn’t inform St. Anne’s about any problems with Smith, but that two references he provided from Southfield, as well as five others from Florida educational circles, gave “glowing accolades” about him.

Southfield “provided service letters to two state agencies and a positive letter of reference to us. The employer expressed no concerns,’’ Baetjer wrote, adding that a St. Anne’s trustee “confirmed the absence of concerns” with two Southfield employees.

In the aftermath of the arrest and now the conviction, Novak said she still faults St. Anne’s for hiring Smith. She’s also taken her son and daughter, who is in pre-school, out of the school where tuition would have totaled nearly $40,000 this year for her two children.

“I’m appalled at the school for putting him in charge,” Novak said. “Now, hearing from you, that he basically got a slap on the wrist, only solidifies my decision to leave St. Anne’s.”

This story was supported by a statehouse coverage grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.