On Thursday, Feb. 17, one of Eureka High School’s custodians, Robert Smith, 50, was charged and arrested on one felony count of 1st-degree sexual abuse for an incident that occurred with a student in the Special School District.

Authorities stated an incident happened within the school on Feb. 11, and that Smith had touched a boy’s genitals over his clothing. The student has Down Syndrome and is non-verbal, unable to give consent, according to published reports.

Smith was hired in 2018 and at that time had passed Rockwood’s extensive background check, which is standard for each employee hired within the district.

Eureka Principal Corey Sink send an email to parents Thursday afternoon, informing them of the incident but at this time there is limited information the school can release.

“I want to assure you, though, that we take any allegations of this nature very seriously, and we will do everything in our power to assist the investigators and ensure the safety of all our students,” Sink said in the statement.

At this time, Smith is on unpaid suspension and is not allowed on district property. His bail is set to $300,000.