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A teacher at Escalante Middle School has been arrested on suspicion of sexual exploitation of a child after allegedly approaching a 16-year-old child online and offering to engage in sexual acts, according to the Durango Police Department.

Benjamin Smith, 28, was booked into the La Plata County Jail on a Class 5 felony.

Durango School District 9-R alerted parents of Smith’s arrest in an email notification Thursday afternoon. The school district’s website identifies Smith as a band and choir teacher at Escalante Middle School. The school district said he has worked for the school district since August 2021.

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“We will continue to provide support to our families, and we are committed to maintaining open communication with our community,” the statement said.

According to the DPD, a 16-year-old child “of our community” reported being approached online by an adult who offered to engage in sexual acts. The juvenile did not know the suspect but was able to provide officers and detectives with enough information that law enforcement was able to identify Smith as the suspect, according to a DPD Facebook post.

In an interview Thursday evening, DPD Cmdr. Jacob Dunlop said the conversation between the juvenile and Smith occurred over Snapchat. Police learned of the illicit conversation Tuesday night. After working the case Wednesday, which included obtaining a search warrant for Smith’s house, they were able to make an arrest Thursday, Dunlop said.

“The 16-year-old thought that they were chatting with another 16-year-old,” Dunlop said. “That’s why the conversation kept going. I don’t believe this 16-year-old would have kept engaging if they felt that they were speaking with an adult. So he misrepresented who he was to keep the conversation going.”

Smith, on the other hand, was aware he was communicating with a child, Dunlop said.

At some point, there was an offer for an in-person meeting. At that point, the true 16-year-old grew suspicious and realized they were communicating with an adult, Dunlop said.

The victim notified an adult and police.

“It’s actually, in my opinion, very brave of the 16-year-old to recognize the situation and report it instead of just trying to ignore that it ever happened,” Dunlop said.

Dunlop wasn’t immediately sure how long Smith and the victim had been communicating on Snapchat.

T.A.L.K. method

Durango School District 9-R offered these suggestions on the T.A.L.K. method for discussing sensitive topics with children.“Hearing about child sexual exploitation is very upsetting, particularly when it involves a trusted adult,” the district wrote in an email to parents. “We value the safety of children above all else – school staff and leaders, parents and community members – and it is normal to feel shock, fear, concern, and uncertainty about how best to support our children.”T.A.L.K. is an acronym that can help parents remember a few basic guidelines when children want to disclose or talk about difficult news.

T: THANK THEM FOR BEING WILLING TO ASK QUESTIONS, SHARE AND LISTEN. It’s important to take a moment to acknowledge how incredibly difficult it can be to talk about upsetting information like sexual abuse or sexual assault. Showing your appreciation for their trust at the beginning of the conversation may help your loved one feel more comfortable. Being calm and offering to listen carefully is important.

A: ASSURE HELP and REASSURANCE. Even though your first instinct may be to try to give your loved one advice on what to do, it’s important to let them make their own choices about what to do next. You don’t have to have all the answers – you just have to listen and let them know that you are there to help. Knowing that difficult conversations can start slowly, you may need to reassure them repeatedly that you are there to listen, answer questions if possible, and provide reassurance.

L: LISTEN WITHOUT JUDGMENT. While it’s normal to have reactions when children want to talk about an upsetting or sensitive topic, especially something like abuse or exploitation, reactions can make our youth feel like they are responsible for adult feelings or that they might have done something wrong. Being thoughtful about your body language and remaining calm helps ensure they are not discouraged from opening up or that they are not worried about upsetting us. Listening without judgment can be one of the most healing things you can do for someone you love. What does this look like? Give your undivided attention; listen carefully to feelings; don’t minimize how they feel or offer alternative views – providing perspective can come later; avoid adding your thoughts and opinions unless asked for; think about how non-verbal behavior (tone and voice volume, posture, expressions, nodding, etc.) can help invite conversation.

K: KEEP SUPPORTING. Healing from – and processing – upsetting news or an upsetting incident will take time; different children will have different timelines, and children will not always operate on a timeline that is convenient for adults. Questions may reemerge or re-circulate as youth process an event, so be prepared to talk about topics of concern repeatedly over time.

A search warrant for electronic devices, including anything that had access to social media sites, was executed Thursday morning.

Police are unsure if Smith has engaged in similar alleged behavior in the past. The DPD’s digital forensic evidence team will be looking into that in coming days, he said.

Dunlop was also unsure whether the alleged victim had ever been a student of Smith’s; he declined to say whether the student is enrolled with Durango School District 9-R.

The police department felt it was important to make an arrest before completing its investigation because of the potential risk Smith presented to the community, Dunlop said.

“We are going to be looking into his internet activity and seeing if there are other potential victims out there,” Dunlop said.

Anyone who may have additional information is asked contact detectives at 375-4730.

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