Ex-teacher in Raleigh student-sex case faces at least 20 felony charges, bond raised to $2M

The former teacher accused of having sex with a student at The Montessori School of Raleigh faces 16 counts of statutory rape or sex offense with the girl involved in 2011 and 2012 and four counts of sex offense with a student.

Nicholas Conlon Smith, 36, of 7401 Longstreet Drive is named in a dozen arrest warrants that Raleigh police obtained Tuesday. Detectives took Smith into custody Tuesday afternoon after questioning him at their offices, records showed.

The incidents alleged in the warrants began in August 2011 and ran through June 30, 2012, the charges said. All are felonies, and Smith was held on $1 million bail pending a court appearance.

The girl involved was 14 years old when it began, police said.

At Smith’s Wednesday court appearance, his bail was increased to $2 million and the prosecutor indicated there may be additional victims and more charges possible.

Smith was once the school’s middle/upper school math director.

The charges of sex with a student state that Smith was a teacher at the middle school at 408 Andrews Chapel Road.

Smith’s faculty listing and “faculty spotlight” on the school’s website had been removed as of Tuesday afternoon, though partial results were still visible on Google.

“There is nothing more important than the safety of our students,” said Nancy Errichetti, who leads the Montessori school. “These allegations are extremely disturbing and we are cooperating fully with the police investigation. We will also conduct a comprehensive review of our own policies and procedures as part of our ongoing commitment to protect our students.”

This story was originally published November 8, 2017 at 10:22 AM with the headline "Ex-teacher in Raleigh student-sex case faces at least 20 felony charges, bond raised to $2M."