Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) has granted a pardon to Scott Thomas Smith, a Loudoun County father whose daughter was sexually assaulted at school. Smith’s arrest following the assault had sparked nationwide outrage and became a symbol of the parents’ rights movement in schools.
Smith had been convicted of obstruction of justice and disorderly conduct after he was forcibly removed from a school board meeting he attended following his daughter’s assault in 2021. However, his obstruction of justice conviction was dismissed upon appeal, and a trial for the disorderly conduct conviction was scheduled for later this month.
The governor’s pardon, announced on Sunday, overturns Smith’s conviction for disorderly conduct and affirms his factual innocence. The Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office has not yet commented on the pardon.
The case gained national attention amidst a politically polarized education climate, becoming entangled in debates over transgender issues as the student who assaulted Smith’s daughter was wearing a skirt at the time. The community was also infuriated by the decision to transfer the student to another school after the incident, only for him to assault another girl at the new school.
The teenage perpetrator will remain on the Virginia sex-offender registry for life and has been sent to a residential treatment facility, with probation until the age of 18.
During the board meeting, Smith was threatened by a community member who intended to spread false and malicious rumors about his business. The pardon acknowledges that Smith had been wrongly accused of hate crimes and domestic terrorism.
Governor Youngkin stated on “Fox News Sunday” that the pardon corrects a grave injustice. He emphasized that Smith was simply a father standing up for his daughter, who had been sexually assaulted at school while authorities did nothing. He described the case as a gross miscarriage of justice.
Smith expressed his gratitude to the governor, stating that it reflects the recognition of the weaponization and politicization of the justice system. While this pardon may close one chapter, Smith vows to continue fighting for parents and children impacted by misguided school policies.
Previously, Smith had attributed his daughter’s assault to “radical gender policies.” He attended the board meeting out of concern for her and other students’ safety and was confronted by supporters of new bathroom policies, leading to his unreasonable restraint by law enforcement officers.
Smith’s attorneys, Bill Stanley and Mike Joynes, consider the pardon a vindication for their client, his family, and all parents who resist the government’s attempt to enforce a radical agenda concerning their children’s education.
A state grand jury report, initiated by Governor Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares (R), condemned the school system’s handling of the two sexual assaults committed by the student. The investigation revealed that administrators mishandled the assaults that occurred in May and October 2021. The student was transferred to another high school after the first assault but committed a second assault at the new school. The report also exposed Superintendent Scott Ziegler’s dishonesty during a school board meeting regarding the first incident. Ziegler was fired in December following the release of the report.
Loudoun County Public Schools officials have not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the pardon.
In his statement, Smith asserted that he is not a “domestic terrorist” but a father who will do whatever it takes to protect his daughter. He will continue his pursuit until his family is both protected and fully vindicated.