Mill Valley music teacher arrested on child sex abuse charges
A Mill Valley Unified School District teacher was arrested Tuesday on sex charges, according to the Marin County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff's detectives arrested Darren Smith of Fairfax on suspicion of lewd and lascivious acts with a child and continuous sexual abuse of a child.
The Sheriff's Office said that the school district notified them of the allegations and put Smith on administrative leave. Smith has been employed by the Mill Valley Unified School District since August 2013. The District's website lists him as a music teacher.
After a thorough investigation of the allegations, including forensic interviews and evaluation of evidence, detectives developed probable cause to arrest Smith, the Sheriff's Office said.
Smith was booked into the Marin County Jail where he is being held in lieu of $200,000 bail. On Thursday, the Marin County Sheriff's Office identified Smith as the man who apparently drowned Wednesday after going into the water at Drakes Beach with a surfboard.
Anyone with information regarding this case can contact the Marin County Sheriff's Office at (415) 479-2311.