Biden’s COVID censorship machine takes a hit: Missouri wins landmark ban on federal threats to Big Tech

A landmark settlement delivered a blow to the censorship industrial complex that silenced Americans during the COVID era.

Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) announced Tuesday that Missouri had reached a settlement agreement with the U.S. government in its Missouri v. Biden lawsuit, which accused the Biden administration of violating Americans' First Amendment rights by directing social media companies to censor speech challenging the government's COVID messaging.

'For every working Missouri family tired of being silenced by their own government: this victory is yours.'

Schmitt filed the lawsuit against the Biden administration while serving as Missouri attorney general, before securing his Senate seat.

The agreement included a 10-year Consent Decree that enforces a narrow permanent injunction on the surgeon general, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The injunction prevents them from threatening social media companies with any form of punishment if those companies fail to remove or suppress content that contains protected speech.

However, this ban applies only to posts made on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and YouTube by the specific plaintiffs in the case, including Missouri and Louisiana government officials and agencies acting in their official capacity. It does not extend to other social media networks or content posted by the general public.

"The Parties also agree that government, politicians, media, academics, or anyone else applying labels such as 'misinformation,' 'disinformation,' or 'malinformation' to speech does not render it constitutionally unprotected," the agreement reads.

The court must first approve this settlement agreement.

Eric Schmitt. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

"We just won Missouri v. Biden," Schmitt wrote in a post on X. "As Missouri's Attorney General, I sued the Biden regime for brazenly colluding with Big Tech to silence Missouri families — censoring the truth about COVID, the Hunter Biden laptop, the open border, and the 2020 election. They tried to turn Facebook, X, YouTube, and the rest into their private speech police, labeling dissent 'misinformation' while they pushed their narrative on the American people."

Schmitt called the Consent Decree the "first real, operational restraint on the federal censorship machine."

He explained that it "directly binds the Surgeon General, the CDC, and CISA: no more threats of legal, regulatory, or economic punishment. No more coercion. No more unilateral direction or veto of platform decisions to remove, suppress, deplatform, or algorithmically bury protected speech."

"For every working Missouri family tired of being silenced by their own government: this victory is yours. The heartland fought back, and the heartland delivered," Schmitt concluded.

Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images

Benjamin Weingarten, a senior contributor at the Federalist, addressed the victory's narrow application.

"This decree is limited to the plaintiffs, but as precedent, and practically, its impact may prove orders of magnitude more powerful in protecting disfavored speech," Weingarten wrote, calling it "a momentous blow for the First Amendment."

National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, who had to withdraw as a plaintiff in the case after being appointed by the Trump administration, called the settlement "a huge win for all Americans."

"Huzzah! The consent decree in Missouri v. Biden is a historic victory for free speech in the US. Though I had to switch to the government side in the case after I became NIH director, I've never been more pleased by 'losing' in my life," he wrote.

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Woman planned to assassinate Trump with gun she stole from her dad, police reports say

A Missouri woman was arrested after she allegedly stole a gun from her dad and, according to the accusations, planned to use it to assassinate President Donald Trump.

On January 4, deputies with the Ozark County Sheriff's Office arrested Johnetta Parsons in Thornfield, about an hour east of Branson, after learning that she had allegedly stolen an SCCY CPX 9mm caliber handgun from her father, Johnny Schofield.

According to Mcnece, Parsons admitted that 'she had stolen the gun ... and was now intending on using it to kill President Trump.'

According to police reports obtained by Blaze News, Schofield called the sheriff's office on December 8, claiming that "he believed his daughter, Johnetta, had stolen a pistol from his nightstand." He further claimed that she had left his residence with the gun still in her possession.

The weapon was reported as stolen in the Missouri Uniform Law Enforcement System that same day.

Less than a month later, on January 3, the Columbia Police Department in Missouri had located the missing firearm.

digihelion/Getty Images

CPD told an Ozark County sheriff's deputy that two individuals had shown up at a police station with a car "packed with items" they claimed belonged to "their friend Johnetta," the deputy's supplemental narrative report said. The pair indicated to police that they had agreed to take Johnetta "to St. Louis to drop her off," but that she had left all of her stuff in their vehicle.

"One of the items was a firearm, which was identified as the stolen firearm," the supplemental narrative report added.

A report from CPD confirmed that two women told cops that an individual identified as "Johnetta Parson" had "stashed multiple bags and boxes" in their vehicle and later "began to text them pertaining to a gun being within her property."

At the time, Parsons also communicated with her daughter, Branetta Mcnece, who said her mother was "experiencing a mental crisis," the CPD report said.

According to Mcnece, Parsons admitted that "she had stolen the gun from a family member in Ozark County and was now intending on using it to kill President Trump," the CPD report said.

"She was planning to take the stolen pistol and kill President Trump once she secured a bus ride from the Greyhound station," echoed the Ozark deputy's summary.

By the evening of January 4, Parsons had returned to her father's residence, "upset and irate," and, according to Schofield, "still rambling about her desire to kill the president," the deputy's report added.

Schofield had also told cops that Parsons was "very intoxicated and combative," an incident report said, and he insisted that she be removed from his home and criminally charged for stealing his gun.

"I was provided with screen shots of text messages from Johnetta to Johnny admitting that she had the gun and telling him to report it stolen and her intentions to kill the president," the deputy wrote.

Mcnece told Blaze News that Parsons has often "hallucinated" about Trump. "She feels like Trump has a secret agenda against her, that he's trying to do something against her, and that he's stalking her," Mcnece explained.

Mcnece also claimed that these hallucinations were behind Parsons' disappearance from and reappearance at a Dollar General store in 2021. Ozark County Sheriff's Office posted to Facebook at the time about the search for Parsons.

Mcnece claimed Parsons has said that Trump killed one of their family members and stood at the person's "secret grave." "And that's why he's rich and we have no money," Mcnece recalled Parsons saying.

Mcnece further noted that Parsons, who has "never been sober," refuses to see a mental health professional and instead considers alcohol and marijuana "her medicine."

On Monday, a warrant was issued for Parsons’ arrest on a charge of stealing — firearm/explosive weapon/ammonium nitrate, a Class C felony, Ozark County court records show. Bond has been set at $5,000, cash only.

The criminal complaint describes Parsons as a “prior” and “persistent” offender and refers to two previous convictions for theft, both more than 15 years old.

Blaze News contacted the U.S. attorney's office for Western Missouri to see whether federal charges would be filed but did not receive a response.

Presumably on account of the alleged threats against the president, the Ozark deputy reported the case to the Secret Service field office in Chicago. A representative from the office confirmed to Blaze News that the office had received a report about an event associated with Parsons and that the investigation into it is "currently still in progress."

Attempts to contact Schofield and Parsons for comment were unsuccessful.

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18-wheeler speeding the wrong direction on highway was driven by — you guessed it

The suspected driver of the 18-wheeler filmed on Wednesday speeding in the wrong direction down a stretch of highway in Missouri has been identified as a Minnesota-based Somali migrant.

Lincoln County Prosecuting Attorney Mike Wood indicated that while he was not immediately taken into custody, Abdiasis Ibrahim Ali, 38, has been charged with driving the wrong direction on a divided highway and operating a motor vehicle in a careless manner.

'He wasn't able to read.'

The prosecutor noted further that a no-bound warrant for Ali's arrest has been requested and that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been notified.

X user MolonLabeBTC shared footage on Wednesday showing a truck barreling southbound down Highway 61 — in one of the northbound lanes. The X user claimed that he began following the "foreign invader" after the truck nearly hit him "head on" and that the incident took place roughly five miles north of Troy.

Sgt. Dallas Thompson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol stated, "We were glad someone saw this yesterday and called it in to try to get resources there to get the vehicle stopped," reported KMOV-TV.

After the driver crossed over to the southbound lane, a state trooper reportedly stopped him and conducted a roadside inspection.

"During that test, the trooper noticed he wasn't able to read and comprehend the road signs," said Thompson.

Sean Duffy. Photographer: Ryan Collerd/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Having been found incapable of demonstrating basic reading comprehension and proficiency in English, "the driver was taken out of service," added Thompson.

After Ali was taken out of service, his co-driver, Abdulahi Abshir Alim — who was apparently in the "sleeper" at the time of the incident — took over, said Wood.

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy indicated that despite his apparent inability to read road signs, the driver was in possession of a Minnesota commercial driver’s license.

Duffy noted further that the driver's carrier, Cargo Transportation LLC, is now under investigation.

Department of Transportation records indicate that Cargo Transportation is based in Hopkins, Minnesota — in what appears to be an apartment complex — and has two drivers who drove over 81,000 miles in 2024. As of Friday, the company's USDOT status was still listed as "active."

Blaze News was unable to reach the company for comment.

The trailer apparently hauled by the Somali is owned by Taylor Trucking Lines whose vice president said in a statement obtained by KMOV, "The driver is not an employee or contractor of Taylor Trucking Lines. He is a contractor for Cargo Transportation. The driver was fired shortly after the video was seen."

The incident took place the day after President Donald Trump called on lawmakers to "pass what we will call the Dalilah Law, barring any state from granting commercial driver's licenses to illegal aliens."

The proposed legislation takes its name from Dalilah Coleman, a little girl grievously injured in a car accident that was allegedly caused by an illegal alien from India who reportedly obtained a commercial driver's license from California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom's Department of Motor Vehicles.

According to the USDOT, roughly 200,000 truckers hold non-domiciled CDLs, and over 14,000 truckers have been kicked out of service for failing to meet basic language requirements since the department brought back English proficiency tests in May 2025.

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Conservative Law Firm Picks Up Dobbs Litigator To Fuel More Supreme Court Victories

A key member of the legal team that convinced the Supreme Court to overrule Roe v. Wade has joined a new law firm to pursue a broader range of appellate and Supreme Court victories. Erin Hawley told The Federalist in a Zoom call Tuesday she’s joining Lex Politica to chair its Supreme Court and appellate […]

Mom with child in tow accused of shooting toward sushi server. What allegedly triggered her is far from your average motive.

A St. Louis mother is facing multiple felony charges after police say she fired a gun inside a Kirkwood, Missouri, sushi restaurant amid an argument with staff last week, KTVI-TV reported.

Kirkwood police told the station the shooting took place just before 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.

'You're going to get it.'

Police said Aaliyah N. Moorehead, 31, told officers she believed restaurant staff were rude to her and her family when they arrived, KTVI reported, adding that Moorehead was with her 9-year-old child.

Moorehead also said she used a translation feature on her AirPods to determine that the cooks made racial and derogatory comments in Spanish about her and her family, the station said.

Police said Moorehead also got upset over what she described as an issue with her order, KTVI said. A server offered to correct the order, but Moorehead began swearing at the server and was asked to leave, the station noted.

Moorehead then threw a bowl of soup at the server, hitting him and others nearby, authorities told KTVI.

The server moved a chair between himself and Moorehead, the station said, adding that she grabbed the chair and threw it.

Moorehead then took out a 9mm Glock handgun, threatened the server, and fired a shot in his direction, police told KTVI, adding that Moorehead's 9-year-old was walking between Moorehead and the server at the time.

Police told KMOV-TV that Moorehead said, “You’re going to get it,” before firing the shot.

The bullet missed the server, went through a refrigerator, and struck a wall, KTVI said, adding that no one was injured.

Police said the restaurant manager told officers the suspect drove away in a white SUV, and officers located the vehicle soon after and detained those in the car, KTVI said.

After reviewing the restaurant’s security video, police identified the SUV's occupants as Moorehead, her 9-year-old child, and another adult woman, KTVI said.

Police told KMOV the entire incident was captured on surveillance video and that Moorehead admitted to firing the gun.

The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Moorehead with first-degree assault, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, endangering the welfare of a child, and first-degree property damage, KTVI said.

Moorehead was still behind bars Tuesday morning at the St. Louis County Justice Center; jail records do not show a court date.

KTVI said Moorehead is being held on a $150,000 cash-only bond.

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Final words revealed from Marine who survived war — but was gunned down at home in Facebook Marketplace trap

A decorated U.S. Marine veteran — who reportedly survived dangerous military missions overseas — was shot and killed at his Missouri home during what was supposed to be the sale of an iPhone on Facebook Marketplace, according to police. The distinguished service member allegedly spent the last moments of his life delivering a heartbreaking message to his family.

According to KOMU-TV, police were dispatched around 8:15 p.m. Jan. 18 concerning reports of gunshots at a residence in Columbia.

'While stationed in Baghdad, Burke founded the Oasis Church.'

The Columbia Police Department said in a statement that 42-year-old Michael Ryan Burke was shot at his home.

Citing court documents, the New York Post reported that Burke was trying to sell his iPhone 15 Pro for $585 after arranging the sale on Facebook Marketplace.

Court docs said Burke provided a buyer with his address, and around 8:10 p.m. one of the suspects messaged the seller: "I'm here."

Moments later, the transaction reportedly spiraled into violence, and Burke was shot. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Police arrested Alexis Baumann, Kobe Aust, and Joseph Crane, all 18 years old, along with a fourth individual whom authorities identified as a juvenile.

Citing court documents, the New York Post reported that one suspect confessed to investigators that they had "arranged to meet with the victim under the ruse of buying the victim's cell phone."

The Post reported that Baumann told investigators she drove the group to Burke's home, and Crane and the juvenile went inside.

KOMU-TV in a separate story reported that Baumann confessed to investigators that she heard three gunshots from inside the home and recalled that the juvenile ran out of the home; the suspects drove away from the crime scene, according to court documents.

Citing the probable cause statement, WDAF-TV reported that detectives used traffic cameras to determine that the suspects' car traveled in the direction of a nearby Walmart.

Just after the shooting, Burke's stolen phone was sold at an ecoATM at a nearby Walmart, according to court documents.

Court documents indicated that surveillance cameras caught Baumann and the juvenile suspect selling the phone at Walmart.

A day before Burke was killed, the juvenile stole another cell phone under the guise of a Facebook Marketplace sale, according to court documents. The Post reported that the juvenile told the alleged victim, "If you touch me, I'll shoot you."

Baumann and Aust were arrested on charges of second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, and first-degree burglary; Crane and the juvenile were arrested on charges of second-degree murder, armed criminal action, first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, and unlawful use of a weapon, Columbia Police said.

All three 18-year-old suspects are being detained without bond at the Boone County Jail, while the unidentified juvenile is being held at the Boone County Juvenile Office.

(L to R) Kobe Aust, Alexis Baumann, Joseph Crane. Image source: Boone County (Mo.) Jail

Jerry Reifeiss — who met Burke 24 years ago as a fraternity brother at Mizzou's Sigma Nu — revealed the Marine's heartbreaking last goodbye.

Reifeiss told KRCG-TV that Burke contacted his mother and sister: "He texted them saying that, 'Hey, I'm dying, and I love you.'"

"That was just Ryan," Reifeiss continued. "He always put people in front of him and wanted to make sure people knew how he felt."

Before he died, Burke reportedly called 911 and gave a description of his attackers to the dispatcher.

"He didn't want to go on to the next life and pass away without providing some information to us here that would bring justice to these people and let people know he always loves them," Reifeiss said.

Reifeiss said of the arrests, "I'm very happy the police did their job and were able to get these people very quickly, assuming these are the correct people."

Burke's obituary said he served as a "Force Reconnaissance Marine in the United States Marine Corps, holding the rank of Staff Sergeant, with both active-duty and reserve service."

Burke was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. From 2014 to 2021, Burke served as a medic in Baghdad.

While stationed in Baghdad, Burke founded the Oasis Church. According to his obituary, Burke also founded Holy Smokes — a men's Bible study group. Burke also preached and taught in Uganda, the Philippines, Kenya, the U.K., and throughout the U.S.

The obituary states, "He was deeply committed to creating lasting impact, helping fund schools and churches in Africa and Asia, including support for 14 churches in the Philippines."

One of Burke's passions was fighting human trafficking, and he worked both locally and internationally to help victims.

Burke also served as a firefighter with the city of Columbia.

Police said there is an "active and ongoing investigation" into the alleged murder.

Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact the Columbia Police Department at 573-874-7652 or call CrimeStoppers at 573-875-8477.

The Columbia Police Department did not immediately respond to Blaze News' request for comment.

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Scandal-plagued mayor arrested for serious sex crimes — including alleged sodomy of a minor

A St. Louis-area mayor obsessed with race and swamped with lawsuits has been arrested — and the accusations against him are horrifying.

On Thursday, Mayor Michael Cornell of Riverview, Missouri, was arrested and charged with nine felonies: four counts of second-degree statutory sodomy, three counts of first-degree sodomy or attempted sodomy, and one count each of first-degree harassment and possession of child pornography — film/videotape.

'Tell me why we’re being sued because you made sexual advances to an employee and when he refused, you fired him.'

As of Thursday afternoon, Cornell remained in custody on a $1 million, cash-only bond.

The statutory sodomy charges relate to repeated incidents between 2016 and 2017 of alleged sexual contact with a teenager under 17 years of age, KSDK reported.

Prosecutors claimed that Cornell has also attacked three adult males: one between 2016 and 2017, one in May and September 2024, and one just last month.

Police worry that other victims, including minors, may be out there.

"In these types of cases with this type of behavior, based on the victims that we've talked to, it's possible that this is a predatory type of behavior. And we're concerned that if he was willing to do it to a minor, there may be other minors that we're just not aware of," St. Louis County Police Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Lohr said, according to KSDK.

A bond hearing has been scheduled for next week, and a preliminary hearing has been scheduled for February 18, KSDK said.

Bill Oxford/Getty Images

Cornell, 39, has been inundated with accusations since before he was elected mayor in April 2024. He currently faces litigation related to sexual harassment, wrongful termination, gender discrimination, fostering a toxic work environment, and jokes on social media.

A former Riverview alderwoman also filed a suit after Cornell allegedly ordered her to be placed in handcuffs after she mentioned the sexual harassment allegations against him at a town hall meeting last February.

"I held up the court papers. I said, 'Tell me why we’re being sued because you made sexual advances to an employee and when he refused, you fired him,'" Regina Davis said, according to KMOV, which has covered the accusations against Cornell extensively.

At least seven lawsuits have been filed against Cornell in just two years, the outlet noted.

Cornell has also recently made bizarre claims about members of the KKK vandalizing both public and private property in Riverview.

"I am writing to inform you of the disturbing markings and threats against the City of Riverview and its residents by racist and cowardly KKK affiliates throughout the night. Over the past six months, alarming KKK and hate-related markings or destruction of City property and churches in Riverview have been reported," he posted to Facebook in December.

Additionally, Cornell issued KMOV a rambling seven-page letter on city letterhead, referring to not only the alleged KKK problem, but other wild allegations, including that the chief of police had orchestrated "conspiracies to blow my head off, commit a mass shooting, and then kill himself."

Former Riverview Police Chief Thomas Tumbrink filed a lawsuit against Cornell and other officials in June, alleging wrongful termination.

In response to a request for comment on the lawsuits, Cornell told KMOV: "Just let the system play that out, and you just follow the facts, you understand? We’re not here to be choked in with the smoke. When the smoke clears, a lot of facts. And if you are someone with some type of integrity, follow the facts."

Cornell's bio on the Riverview website evinces a man obsessed with race and overly impressed with his resume. The first paragraph of many notes his "unmatched knowledge, courage, and strength, he has broken barriers and shattered ceilings at such a young age counting back over 20 years."

Cornell also brags about his call for "environmental justice" and greater "integrity" and "transparency."

Among other accomplishments, he claims to be the "youngest and First African American" chairman of the Riverview Board of Trustees and that in 2022, he became a "State Licensed Private Investigator."

A public records request to the state law enforcement licensing agency revealed that Cornell had a peace officer license that has since "expired." Cornell pled guilty to one count of impersonating an officer in 2017, but his record was later expunged, KMOV said.

Through a public records request, Blaze News learned that while Cornell has been registered to vote in Missouri since at least September 2020 and has cast a vote 10 times since then, he is not registered with a particular political party.

Riverview City Hall did not respond to a request for comment.

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Illegal alien truckers with California licenses accused of hauling $7M in cocaine across state lines

Two illegal alien truck drivers who obtained commercial driver's licenses from California are accused of smuggling $7 million worth of cocaine across the Midwest.

'Sanctuary policies put American lives at risk.'

Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Sunday lodged detainers against 25-year-old Gurpreet Singh and 30-year-old Jasveer Singh after local authorities arrested the two Indian nationals in Putnam County, Indiana.

The men were driving a semitruck along I-70 when an Indiana State Police trooper pulled them over for a routine traffic stop on Saturday, according to local reports.

The trooper's K-9 unit gave a positive alert, prompting the officer to conduct a more thorough search of the truck. The trooper allegedly discovered 309 pounds of cocaine hidden in the truck's sleeper berth.

The men were reportedly traveling from Joplin, Missouri, to Richmond, Indiana.

They were charged with a Level 2 felony of dealing narcotics.

Gurpreet Singh. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

The Department of Homeland Security reported that the men were allegedly smuggling enough drugs to kill over 113,000 Americans.

Gurpreet Singh illegally entered the U.S. in March 2023 and was released into the country by the Biden administration. The DHS reported that he admitted to law enforcement that he was illegally in the U.S.

Jasveer Singh illegally entered the country in March 2017. He was arrested in San Bernardino, California, in December for allegedly receiving stolen property. ICE placed a detainer against him, but California did not honor it, and he was released from local custody.

Jasveer Singh. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

The DHS blamed California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom's policies for allowing the illegal aliens to obtain CDLs amid growing concerns about the surge of unqualified foreign nationals in the American trucking industry. Newsom's office has repeatedly rebutted these criticisms by claiming that California's CDLs for foreign nationals are issued in compliance with federal guidelines, based on work authorization documents provided by the U.S. government.

"Thanks to Gavin Newsom's reckless policies, these two criminal illegal aliens were granted commercial driver's licenses by the state of California and were arrested for trafficking a whopping 300 pounds of cocaine inside a semi-truck," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated. "Gavin Newsom and his fellow sanctuary politicians even refused to honor an arrest detainer on one of these criminal illegal aliens in December. Sanctuary policies put American lives at risk. ICE law enforcement lodged arrest detainers to ensure these drug traffickers are not allowed back into American communities."

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Ex-teacher accused of paying students for sex, loading them up with booze and drugs finds out her fate

A Missouri woman who was accused of paying students for sex and giving them alcohol and drugs while she was a substitute teacher just learned where she'll be spending the next decade.

Carissa Smith, 31, was arrested last November and indicted on a host of charges including two counts of sexual trafficking of a child under the age of 18, nine counts of statutory rape, two counts of statutory sodomy, three counts of sexual contact with a student, and one count of patronizing prostitution from a victim 14 years and younger.

'Very disturbing and distressing information.'

Investigators indicated the incidents occurred from August 2023 to September 2024.

According to the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office, victims alleged that Smith — who began regularly working as a substitute teacher at Dixon Middle School in August 2022 then worked at Dixon High School from 2023 until her resignation in August 2024 — "would offer money, marijuana and/or alcohol to students in return for sex or to allow her to perform oral sex."

The probable cause statement indicated that Smith paid one victim at least $100 to engage in sexual activities with her. Authorities noted further that Smith urged one minor victim not to discuss their encounters with anyone else.

Court documents reviewed by USA Today indicated that Smith also involved her husband, informing him that one victim had a compromising video and was blackmailing her. The husband allegedly threatened more than one minor with a baseball bat.

The affidavit reviewed by People magazine indicated that after hearing a rumor about a video circulating in the community that allegedly showed the substitute teacher performing a sexual act with one of her students, Smith's brother-in-law caught her in bed with an underage student.

Photo by Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun Staff

Victims claimed that Smith would have sex with them at her house as well as other locations, including on roadsides.

The day after Smith's Nov. 12, 2024, arrest, Dixon R-I School District Superintendent Travis Bohrer revealed to parents that the district had received a report of possible misconduct by Smith earlier in the year from at least one student and had notified the relevant authorities.

Bohrer noted, "This is very disturbing and distressing information for everyone in our school community."

While out on bond, Smith was arrested again in September and charged with tampering with a witness after court documents say she was caught at the home of one of her victims, the sheriff's office confirmed to USA Today.

The former teacher's $250,000 bond was revoked on Sept. 10.

"The defendant was ordered to have no contact with any victim in this case," noted prosecuting attorney Jeffrey Thomas. "The defendant has failed to follow a course of good conduct."

Smith pleaded guilty to lesser charges of two counts of sexual contact with a student and one count of first degree endangering the welfare of a child/sexual conduct on Sept. 17, reported KRCG-TV, and faced as many as 12 years in prison.

Smith instead received a sentence Wednesday of 10 years behind bars, the station said in a separate story.

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