23-year-old Plano man released after 8th arrest, accused of stalking and harassing SMU students

DALLAS, Texas (KTVT) – Ian Smith of Plano has been released from prison after spending his eighth time behind bars accused of stalking and harassing several female students at Southern Methodist University.

Last week, the 23-year-old was charged with felony harassment. Police documents show he “repeatedly contacted a female student and directly intervened in her life through social media, including video calls.”

Police said the harassment “caused them to fear for her welfare and safety.”

Court records show Smith was charged in March with a similar crime and several other incidents since 2021. Charges included stalking and threatening students, online impersonation and a third-degree felony of obstruction/retaliation. Legal experts said these types of crimes often depend on people reporting them and are “more serious than people think.”

“So if someone who is harassing doesn’t stop, they are being stalked. If [the person] “If someone is allowed to have contact with this person, an attack could occur,” said defense attorney Philip Linder.

Linder said Smith's case is an example of the legal system taking time to get Smith off the streets.

“The system works in a way because he gets prosecuted and goes to prison, whatever you want. Whether it continues to work depends on whether they increase the punishment next time,” Linder said.

He said a person like Smith could commit multiple offenses in a short time behind bars, but because he was already charged with a crime, a second or third could result in a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

Linder also believes there may be more victims who need to come forward.

“It’s standard and it’s a problem. That’s why this case is a little scary because he’s done this so many times in a few years,” Lender said.

SMU police declined to speak to CBS News Texas due to the active investigation, but said Smith is not a student at SMU. CBS News Texas attempted to find contact information for Smith but was unable to locate him or reach him for comment. CBS News Texas has also reached out to the Dallas County District Attorney for comment on the case and is awaiting a response.

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