On Tuesday, March 14, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jamal Devante Carter and charged him with 15 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
Carter was a basketball coach and PE teacher at Smith County Middle School at the time of his arrest.
Carter is accused of sending nude photos of himself to female students.
Carter is currently being held at the Smith County Jail Facility with a $150,000 bond.
A bond hearing for Carter is set for this afternoon and he is set to appear in court tomorrow morning at 9am.
The Smith County Board of Education released the following statement Thursday morning, March 16:
Administrators with the Smith County Board of Education very recently received a report of alleged inappropriate conduct between a certified professional employee and students. The school system immediately launched an investigation and reported the issue to law enforcement. Based on initial information revealed, the certified professional employee was placed on suspension and is no longer present in the school system. Recent media reports have detailed an arrest and charges surrounding this individual and the investigation is still ongoing. Law enforcement has directly contacted the parents of any students involved and will make any necessary future contact. The school system cannot provide any information that would violate student privacy rights or in any way impede this ongoing investigation. The Board of Education and its staff fully cooperate with law enforcement to ensure the safety and security of all Smith County students.
Smith County Sheriff, Steve Hopper, told SCI that this investigation is still ongoing and further details would be released at a later time.
Check back to Smith County Insider for more information as this story develops.
