HOUSTON - A man accused of pretending to be a pediatrician and sexually abusing children has been arrested in Idaho, according to the Houston Police Department.
Lee Smith III was arrested in Boise, Idaho on Sunday after officers responded to reports of a suspicious vehicle with a flat tire..
When the responding officer ran Smith's license plates, he learned the vehicle was wanted in Texas. After speaking with Smith, he looked up his information with his Texas driver's license and discovered a felony warrant was out for his arrest in Houston.
Smith was then arrested without incident.
He is accused of sexually abusing a 15-year-old and a 6-year-old back in August of 2017. The incidents happened in the 13100 block of Northborough Drive.
David Yoon, lead investigator on the case with the Houston Police Department held a press conference on the arrest Thursday afternoon.
Yoon said Smith was able to gain the trust of the children's parents first and then preyed on the children.
"He was very active and very clever in how he got around children." Yoon said.
The photo shared online of Smith in the white lab coat and scrubs was found by police on his social media accounts. The white lab coat was even embroidered with the word "pediatrician" on it next to his name.
However, there are no reports of Smith actually gaining access to any hospitals while posing and acting as a doctor.
Yoon said Smith does have previous charges on his record, but they did not lead to him being registered as a sex offender.
In his statement to HPD officers, Smith said was in the process of getting an anti-bullying, talent agency together for children only. He also reportedly volunteered at schools in Alief ISD.
"He was showing a pattern of preying on children and we feel that there are other victims." Yoon said.
If you have been a victim, HPD urges you to let them know. The investigation is ongoing at this time.