An assistant high school soccer coach in Vermont has been charged in connection with a child sexual abuse investigation.
Kane Smart, 44, of South Burlington, was arrested Wednesday on charges of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child and luring a child on connection with multiple incidents in Burlington and Winooski in 2021, according to state police.
The investigation began last January, when state police and the Department for Children and Families received a report regarding allegations of sexual abuse that were reported to have happened on multiple occasions in 2021.
The suspect was identified as Smart, who was at the time an assistant soccer coach at Winooski High School. He was accused of committing a lewd and lascivious act with a child and luring a child while serving in his role as a coach.
When they learned of the accusations earlier this year, state police said the Winooski School District suspended Smart from having contact with children at the school pending the outcome of the investigation.
Following the conclusion of the investigation and a review by the Rutland County State’s Attorney’s Office, state police said they arrested Smart on Wednesday. He was processed at state police barracks in Rutland and released with an order to appear in Vermont Superior Court in Rutland later in the day.
The case is being prosecuted in Rutland County due to a potential conflict with the Chittenden County State’s Attorney’s Office, state police said.
No additional details about the investigation were released.
Anyone with additional information related to the investigation is urged to contact Vermont State Police Detective Sgt. Lauren Ronan at 802-442-5421 or submit a tip anonymously online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
