A former assistant pastor at Red Rocks Baptist Church in Morrison has been ordered to seven days in jail and one year probation for Neglect of an At-risk Adult. 

Jason Smoker, 37, of Lakewood was supervising a 21-year-old developmentally disabled man who was cleaning a church bus prior to an outing on August 27, 2008.  Smoker did not believe that the young man had done a satisfactory job cleaning the bus and as a disciplinary measure he tied something, possibly a t-shirt, around the young man’s head, had him lie down on the ground and then dumped trash on him.  The young man was not physically injured but he testified at trial that he’d been scared, but that he trusted Smoker “not to do anything bad.”  He said that at first he was just scared and confused, but afterwards felt betrayed and humiliated by Smoker’s abuse.

The young man and his family were active members of Red Rocks Baptist Church and participated in many church activities. The young man, whose identity is protected by State statute, also worked regularly as a volunteer at the church.

Smoker was convicted of the misdemeanor neglect charge in a trial to the court in April 2010. 

At the sentencing hearing earlier today County Judge KJ Moore called Smoker’s conduct “absolutely appalling.” She said that she has serious concerns that Smoker doesn’t understand the effect his conduct had on the young man and his family.  In addition to the standard terms and conditions set by the Probation Department, Judge Moore also ordered that Smoker have no conduct with the victim or his family and no contact with anyone with developmental disabilities.