Convicted sex offender hired to do contract work at elementary school

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A convicted sex offender was hired to do contract work at a Steele Creek elementary school, officials said.

Timothy Brian Smith, 35, is a roofer but 10 years ago he was convicted of second-degree rape in Maryland for having sex with a 13-year-old girl.

So he is not allowed on school property.

"One of the people they hired is a registered sex offender? Oh, that doesn’t sit well with me," parent Jeff Wahlers said.

Smith worked for Johnson’s Roofing of Charlotte, a company contracted to fix a leak at River Gate Elementary.

Smith was flagged after his ID was run through the Lobby Guard system.

He was then escorted off the campus.

"Seems as though they resolved the issue,” parent Andy Merritt said. “They kicked him off the property."

State law and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools require that contractors conduct an annual check of the state Sex Offender Registry and Public Protection Registration Program, the state Sexually Violent Predator Registration Program and the National Sex Offender Registry.

The owner of Johnson's Roofing, which is based in Fort Mill, said those checks were not conducted.

Smith had worked for the company for two years.

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