DURANGO - The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado announces that Benjamin Vincent Smith, 28, of Durango, Colorado, was charged by complaint with one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, and one count of possession of child pornography.

According to the complaint, Smith was a former music teacher at Escalante Middle School in Durango. In July 2024, Smith allegedly posed as a 16-year-old female on the social media service SnapChat under username "MTNCHICK69." Via SnapChat, Smith contacted Minor #1 under the ruse that Smith was a 16-year-old female, and enticed Minor #1 to meet him in a parking lot for a sexual encounter. After meeting Smith, Minor #1 reported the incident to law enforcement, who were able to identify Smith as the suspect. During the investigation, law enforcement seized Smith's phone and searched it pursuant to a warrant. Smith allegedly possessed numerous photographs of minor children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, apparently belonging to over two dozen school-age minors living in the Durango area.

The charges contained in the complaint are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent of the charges unless and until proven guilty.

The United States Attorney's Office encourages anyone with information related to this investigation or who had any contact with "MTNCHCK69" to contact Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) Task Force Officer Josh Newman at 970-759-2640.

The case is being investigated by HSI with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Durango Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey K. Graves.

Case Number: 24-mj-00185-JMC