BREAKING NEWS

Predator in Our Backyard: Silence from Congressman Jeff Hurd

August 12, 2025

The people of the Third Congressional District need to know what is happening in La Plata County. This is one of the counties Congressman Jeff Hurd represents. Where is Jeff Hurd? Why isn’t he concerned about this? Why isn’t he speaking out about the horrific crimes against children happening right here in our community?

Through a Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) request filed by an outraged parent, I have reviewed federal court documents that lay out one of the most disturbing criminal cases this community has ever faced.

The case involves Benjamin Vincent Smith, a 28-year-old former Escalante Middle School music teacher, now facing 56 federal counts including coercion and enticement of a minor, production of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. These charges are not hypothetical. They involve real local children, some as young as 13, right here in La Plata County.

The Homeland Security affidavit describes how Smith allegedly used Snapchat under the username “MTNCHICK69” to pose as a teenage girl. He engaged in sexually explicit conversations with boys, solicited nude images, and arranged meetings in person.

In one case, according to the affidavit, Smith encouraged a 16-year-old boy to send him a sexual image while the boy was at work. Later that same night, they arranged to meet at the Chapman Hill parking lot in Durango. When the boy arrived, he saw a figure under a blanket in a blue Subaru Outback. That vehicle was later traced to Smith’s residence, just a few hundred yards from the Durango skate park.

Investigators seized fifteen electronic devices from Smith’s apartment and vehicle. On his iPhone, they found numerous sexually explicit images of minors. The affidavit states:

“Numerous photographs… appear to be visual depictions of minor children engaged in sexually explicit conduct… transmitted by Snapchat to the phone seized from Smith’s person.”

Law enforcement identified over two dozen local school-age minors connected to the Snapchat account. The case also revealed more than 45,000 Snapchat messages tied to Smith’s account, many with sexual solicitations.

On October 9, 2024, a federal magistrate judge ordered Smith detained without bond, writing:

“There is clear and convincing evidence that no condition or combination of conditions for release will reasonably assure the safety of the community.”

And yet, Congressman Jeff Hurd remains silent. No press release. No public statement. No outrage. Nothing.

I have fought grooming and child exploitation at both the local and state level. I have testified before school boards, opposed radical bills that strip parents of their rights, and fought legislation that promotes taxpayer-funded chemical castration and irreversible medical mutilation of minors. These practices rob children of their innocence, just as predators like Smith do. And I will say it plainly: those who prey on children, whether in a classroom, behind a computer, or in a medical office, should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and removed from society.

This case is a wake-up call for La Plata County, the Third Congressional District, and all of Colorado. Parents should not have to rely on CORA requests to uncover the truth about threats to our children. We need leaders who will stand up, speak out, and act.

As your next Congresswoman, I will fight for stronger laws, more resources for law enforcement, and full accountability for those who harm children. Our community deserves nothing less.

Hope Scheppelman