Man arrested after he posed as pediatrician to sexually abuse children

A Texas man posing as a paediatrician is accused of sexually abusing two children.

Lee Smith III, 29, sexually assaulted a 15-year-old and molested an 8-year-old at a Texas apartment complex in August 2017, Houston Police Detective David Yoon said at the news conference said.

He was arrested in Boise, Idaho, and charged with sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child in attacks carried out on Aug. 1, 2017.

Yoon said it was in June that he was assigned the case after the parents of the victims reported that their children were sexually abused by Smith. The parents of the victims told police that Smith fled when they confronted him. Officers said they were able to track him down and asked to interview him but he disappeared again.

Smith was reportedly known to dress as a doctor and pose as a pediatrician, according to ABC 13 News. He volunteered at schools and other places where he had access to children.

"He was very active and very clever at how he got around children," Yoon said.

After police announced they were looking for Smith, other victims came forward and accused him of sexual abuse. 

Lee remained on the run for almost a year. Boise police encountered him when someone reported "a suspicious vehicle with a flat tire," Houston Police Detective David Yoon said at the news conference. The responding Boise officer ran Smith’s license plate and driver’s license then learned that he was wanted in Texas. He was taken into custody without incident.