He has five college and graduate degrees, including two master's degrees and a doctorate.
Jan 5, 2008 - He's turning his life around, according to the Dallas Morning News. A Lancaster High School teacher who was arrested in Dec 2006 for stealing school computers to support a drug habit has repaid the district for the computers, began repaying approximately $2,000 worth of hot checks through the district attorney's check diversion program, and is now working for the Union Gospel Mission.
He is still awaiting sentencing on the three burglary charges filed by Lancaster police. His drug problems and run-ins with the law stretch back many years.
After earning his doctorate from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1991, the Mississippi native found a job teaching nursing in Louisiana. Not long after, he tried his first hit of crack cocaine and quickly became hooked.His family knew by his actions that he was doing drugs again.
His addiction led to the revocation of his Louisiana nursing license in 1994.
Back in Mississippi, he enrolled in a three-year rehabilitation program for nurses, but two months shy of finishing the program, he began using cocaine again. He surrendered his Mississippi nursing license in 1998; soon after, a round of hot checks landed him in jail.
Two years later, Dr. Smith decided to make a fresh start in Texas. His sister, Rosie Smith of Mesquite, bought him new clothes and found him a car. But after Lancaster ISD hired him to teach special education, Dr. Smith moved to Lancaster and cut ties with his family.
He taught at Lancaster High from June 2001 until his arrest on Dec. 29, 2006. For the last three of those years, he took crack cocaine at least every other day while teaching about medical careers.
Superintendent Larry Lewis says the district would hire him back.
He's a drug addict for roughly sixteen years, has been off drugs for two years. He hasn't even been sentenced for his burglary charges and they want to hire him back? What kind of insanity is that? It's irresponsible.
