Henry Co. teacher arrested on more charges

HENRY COUNTY, Tenn. — Henry County High School teacher Kevin Smothers was in court Monday on two additional charges of unlawful and inappropriate sexual contact involving four underage students.

Kevin Smothers

These new charges bring the total to 10.

Investigator Gary Vandiver with the Henry County Sheriff’s Office said these new charges are solicitation of a minor to commit statutory rape by an authority figure and the offense of soliciting the sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means, the latter of which is a Class B felony.

According to Mark Donahoe, Smother’s attorney, he could face up to 12 years in prison for the felony, but they are not surprised by the new charges.

Vandiver said these new charges are the result of the ongoing investigation, and new evidence alleges the exchange of inappropriate pictures between Smothers and a student.

“Mr. Smothers solicited a minor to send him via text message sexually explicit photographs, and he sent sexually explicit photographs back to that minor,” Vandiver said.

Henry County Director of Schools Dr. Brian Norton said when they were interviewing Smothers there was no indication of any prior situations related to the current charges on his record.

“If things like this had happened before, then the law actually says you are to alert the Department of Education so then other districts would be privy to that,” Norton said.

Norton said they are working to ensure this never happens again in the system. They recently held a two-hour in-service focused on these issues.

“We shared with them what is appropriate, what is not, and under no uncertain terms will we support teachers who continue to use that kind of information knowing it could lead to trouble,” Norton said.

Smothers is free on a prior $100,000 bond.

Smothers is on unpaid leave from the Henry County School District.

His next appearance in Henry County General Sessions Court is scheduled for March 24.