Tolland summer camp director accused of sexually abusing boy on field trip – NBC Connecticut

The director of a summer camp for teenagers in Tolland was accused of sexual abuse. Despite a confession, no charges were filed, but a state agency took action.

Documents obtained by NBC Connecticut through a public records request show that the alleged incident involved a 12-year-old boy and a day camp director at the Star Hill Family Athletic Center.

The camp runs from mid-June to the end of August and is aimed at children aged 4 to 14.

According to documents, the incident occurred on August 16, 2023, during a trip to Rocky Neck State Park in Niantic.

A day later, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) received a complaint that a 12-year-old boy, upon returning from camp, told his mother that “a strange incident occurred at the Rocky Neck Bathhouse” between the boy and a person whose name was redacted from the complaint. The incident involved baby powder, but the details of the alleged incident were redacted.

DCF, the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC), and the Connecticut State Police launched an investigation.

The investigating state police detective stated in an email that he was able to obtain a confession that corroborated the victim's statements and confirmed a violation of the fourth-degree sexual assault statute.

According to the documents, DCF found abuse and neglect and charged the Star Hill Family Athletic Center with several violations. It concluded that the camp director “emotionally neglected and sexually abused a camper” and “did not possess the personal qualities necessary to care for and work with children.”

In late September last year, the OEC sent an email to Star Hill offering the opportunity to return its youth camp license, stating that “the evidence currently before us causes us significant concerns.”

Star Hill has not surrendered its youth camp license and the camp continues to operate.

In December, the investigating detective provided an update on the investigation to the Deputy Attorney General and wrote in an email that the New London State Attorney's Office had refused to sign the arrest warrant despite a confession.

The investigator wrote, “The prosecutor in charge did not believe she could prove intent to commit sexual assault in this case.” The investigator continued, “It was a very frustrating investigation, but it was closed on my part.”

In the end, the OEC issued a consent form for the center to sign, naming the camp director.

The consent order states: “The Licensee shall not permit Michael Smida to care for or provide unsupervised access to a child” and “shall not permit Michael Smida to participate in any direct management, supervisory or staff functions related to the operation of the youth camp.”

Star Hill's managing partner signed this consent order in March, and when the OEC conducted an inspection in June, it found no violations of the order.

When NBC Connecticut called Star Hill on Wednesday, a person on the phone identified Smida as one of the people still in charge of the camp.

Additionally, he remains listed as co-owner of the Star Hill Family Athletic Center LLC.

Attorneys for Star Hill and Smida did not respond to NBC Connecticut's request for comment.

The full consent notice can be found below: