Federal prosecutors said in a court filing Monday they believe the Manchester teacher charged with attempted sex trafficking of a minor Thursday was on school grounds while allegedly negotiating to pay for sex with a 12-year-old girl.
Stacey Ray Lancaster, a Manchester West High School teacher since spring, sent multiple messages during school hours to an undercover detective in response to an internet post selling sex with minors, the filing said. Prosecutors said video footage showed Lancaster on school grounds Thursday, when he allegedly sent the messages.
There were no actual children involved because the internet advertisement was fake and had been posted by federal law enforcement officers as part of their investigation. Four other men who responded to the advertisement have been arrested and charged.
Lancaster, 46, of Hudson, was released on bail Monday with several conditions over the objection of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Concord. He is confined to his mother’s house at an undisclosed location in New Hampshire; cannot be around minors; is prohibited from using the internet, and had to surrender his passport.
Lancaster has been on administrative leave from his position overseeing the school’s Naval Junior ROTC program at Manchester West since his arrest, according to a school spokesperson.
The status of Lancaster’s teaching credentials was uncertain Monday.
Lancaster does not appear on the state Department of Education’s list of credentialed teachers or its roster of educators who have had their credentials revoked. Neither the school nor the state would comment or say whether Lancaster held teaching credentials.
Lancaster was also the liaison between the school and the U.S. Navy. A commander with the ROTC program told NHPR Monday that Lancaster’s credentials had been “suspended.” He declined to elaborate or give his name and referred questions to the school district.
Sue Hannan, the president of the Manchester teachers’ union, said in an email Monday that Lancaster was not a member and declined to comment.
Lancaster’s court-appointed federal public defender, Jaye Rancourt, did not return a message Monday.
According to the arrest warrant, Lancaster exchanged nearly 20 messages with an undercover detective who said there were two girls, ages 12 and 14, available for sex at an unnamed Manchester hotel. Lancaster told the detective to pick between the two and agreed to pay $100 for sex with the younger girl, the affidavit said.
Lancaster left school grounds at about 2:50 p.m. on Thursday and went to the hotel, where he was arrested, according to the affidavit.
“...As set forth above, it is the government's reasonable assumption that based on the nature of the defendant’s employment and the timing of his chats, that he was negotiating to pay for sex with a minor while he physically at work where he is believed to be employed,” federal prosecutor Matthew Vicinanzo wrote in a filing Monday seeking that Lancaster be held without bail.
The school distinct issued a statement Monday afternoon saying the the “revelation adds another layer of grave concern to an already disturbing series of allegations against Mr. Lancaster.”
The school said it is cooperating with authorities and arranging support for students.
Vicinanzo argued that Lancaster is a flight risk due to the seriousness of the charge, which carries a minimum 15-year sentence, his family’s connections outside the country, extensive travel history, and “substantial means.”
Lancaster was stationed abroad with the Navy and has an ex-wife and two children living in Bahrain, according to Vicinanzo’s filing. Publicly available records show he has prior addresses in Nevada, Maryland, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.
Vicinanzo told the court Lancaster’s “six-figure” salary was another risk factor. The school district said Lancaster is paid $136,972 a year with $52,176 of that covered by the Navy.
Lancaster requested a court-appointed defense attorney, saying he could not afford to hire his own. The financial affidavit he submitted as part of that request is sealed.
