Why was Scott Smith arrested? Virginia Governor pardons assault victim’s father over School Board incident

On Sunday, September 10, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin pardoned Scott Smith, a Loudon County man who had been convicted of disorderly conduct at a school board meeting. According to WUSA 9, in May 2021, a 14-year-old student was arrested for s*xually assaulting Scott Smith's daughter. In August 2021, Smith was arrested after he protested the way the incident was handled by the school administration.

In response to the incident, Glenn Youngkin publicly extended his support to Scott Smith. The Governor commended Smith's decision to stand up for his daughter.

In response, Smith's legal team released an official statement condemning the justice system, claiming that he did not initially receive a fair trial.

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Scott Smith was accused of threatening deputies

As reported by WUSA9, in May 2021, a 14-year-old male student assaulted Scott Smith's daughter in a school bathroom. The teenager was reportedly moved to another school, where they were accused of another assault in October 2021.

While the teenager was eventually convicted in juvenile court, Scott Smith was dissatisfied that they had not been prosecuted earlier.

In an official statement, he would later go on to discuss why he was angry at the school board.

"What happened to my daughter was a horrible, but preventable tragedy that she will have to deal with for the rest of her life. And the way the public school system, the School Board, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and SRO Department, and the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office handled this situation was abhorrent and completely unacceptable," he said.

In August 2021, Smith attended a Loudon County school board meeting. While he later told 7News reporters that he only went to the meeting to listen, he ultimately stood up and shouted in protest regarding his daughter's assault case.

Subsequently, police officers cuffed Smith and led him away. As per ABC, Smith was accused of swearing at a woman at the meeting, before threatening to assault deputies.

The father was charged with disorderly conduct and obstruction of justice. Eventually, he was convicted on the charge of disorderly conduct. In court, the judge said that while Smith did not assault anyone, he could have instigated violence.

Over two years, Smith attempted to fight the decision. He eventually said that while he wanted to win the case in court, he was thankful for the Governor's pardon.

In an official statement from his office, the Governor discussed his decision to come to Smith's aid.

“Scott Smith is a dedicated parent who’s faced unwarranted charges in his pursuit to protect his daughter. Scott’s commitment to his child despite the immense obstacles is emblematic of the parental empowerment movement that started in Virginia," the statement read.

As reported by WJLA, the Smith family have expressed their intention to file multiple lawsuits against Loudon County officials.