Jury trial approaches for Henrico teacher accused of sex assault on student
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A Short Pump Middle School teacher who was accused of sexually assaulting a student on campus will appear in court for a three-day jury trial beginning May 31.
Dean Lakey, 60, allegedly committed the assaults in 2017 at Short Pump Middle School, according to court documents filed in Henrico County Circuit Court. The student who accused him was 14 at the time and is now 18 years old. She made the allegations last spring.
The girl said that Lakey sexually assaulted her inside of a restroom on campus several times, according to court documents.
After a long-term investigation, Henrico Police presented the case before the Richmond Metropolitan multi-jurisdictional grand jury Aug. 25 for six felonies.
Lakey was indicted for one count of rape, two counts of sodomy, and three counts of indecent liberties with a minor as a custodian.
He was arrested and served with the indictments by the Currituck County Sheriff’s Office Sept. 2 in Currituck, North Carolina, where he was working a summer job, according to court documents. He waived his extradition and returned to Virginia, according to court records.
Lakey was later released on $20,000 bail, according to court documents. He was ordered to avoid contact with all minors and be monitored by a tracking device.
Henrico County Public Schools placed the physical education teacher on paid administrative leave on April 19, 2021, and then changed his status to leave without pay on Sept. 8 after he was arrested. He remains on unpaid leave, according to a HCPS spokeswoman.
Lakey has continued to claim his innocence and retained retired Henrico County police officer Rick Vines to administer a polygraph test, which he “conclusively passed,” according to court documents.
Lakey lives in Glen Allen and was a teacher with Henrico County Public Schools for 32 years, the last 30 at Short Pump Middle School. He had no criminal record prior to this case.
The trial will be heard before Henrico Circuit Court Judge L.A. Harris on May 31, June 1 and June 2 at the Henrico Circuit Court. Lakey is being represented by Richmond-based attorney Craig Cooley, who declined to comment before the trial.
Correction: The alleged victim was 14 years old when the alleged assault occured.
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Anna Bryson is the Henrico Citizen’s education reporter and a Report for America corps member. Make a tax-deductible donation to support her work, and RFA will match it dollar for dollar. Sign up here for her free weekly education newsletter.
