By Tim Clifford

On Feb.2 the King County Prosecutor’s Office filed charges against Darcy Smith, a 41-year-old teacher at McMicken Heights Elementary School, with three counts of Rape of a Child in the Third Degree.
Smith is accused of having a sexual relationship with a former student for years while he lived in her house. The victim was 14-years-old when the relationship began.
The victim, now 19, came forward to detectives in the King County Sheriff’s Office on May 2, 2014. Officers informed the school district of their investigation in August at which point Smith was placed on paid administrative leave. She will stay on paid leave until the case is resolved.
In the charging documents the victim is referred to by the initials “B.S.” with a birthdate of Sept.20, 1994.
According to the documents the victim was a former student of Smith’s who often confided in her about his troubled home life. At 12-years-old the victim broke his collarbone and was taken to the hospital by Smith after which he moved into her home on the 16200 block of 141 Ave. S.E. in Renton. This arrangement was ideal for the victim and was requested by his mother as a means to keep him out of trouble and away from the gang life that his older brother was into.
The victim described life in this new household as being very positive and mentioned to detectives that he bought new clothes for the first time in his life. The location put him closer to a hospital and also marked his first time living in an English speaking household.
However, as the victim describes it, the first six months to a year were filled with questionably affectionate exchanges between himself and Smith. Sometimes she would rub his shoulders and his back a little too long or give him pecks on the lips after drinking wine in the evening. When watching movies he would brush her hair. The victim explained that because of his age this confused and aroused him constantly.
Eventually the two began having unprotected and oral sex a couple of times a week, either after Smith’s husband and children fell asleep at night or during her days off. The affair went on for years with her often telling the victim not to tell anyone because she could go to jail. She reportedly would remind him often of the trouble she could face while at the same time chiding him for not being more affectionate and not calling her “baby” enough. The victim claims that she began telling him she loved him and he refused to say it back.
The relationship ended after the victim moved out of her home at age 18.
Smith was awarded as Regional Teacher of the Year in 2012 for her work at McMicken Heights. Recognition was given for the advancement in reading levels of her students and her ability to include relevant social issues from her students’ lives into her daily lectures. Many of her students deal with poverty, race, and gang violence issues in their homes.
Smith has been a teacher in the Highline School District since 2001.
An arraignment hearing is scheduled for Feb. 12 at the Kent Regional Justice Center. If convicted Smith would be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life and would no longer be able to teach. No arrest has been made at this time.