HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — A three-day jury trial begins Tuesday for a Short Pump Middle School teacher charged with several sex crimes involving a minor.
Dean Lakey, who was 60 at the time of his arrest, is accused of raping a middle-school aged girl in 2017. He initially faced one charge of rape, two charges of sodomy, and three charges of indecent liberties with a minor as a custodian.
Now, his trial will move forward on one count of indecent liberties and the rape charge amended to "object sexual battery." The remaining four charges were nolle prossed.
Prosecutors have said during court proceedings that the allegations against Lakey came to light earlier in 2021 when the alleged victim was talking in her sleep while having a nightmare. Someone overheard what she said and asked her about it.
The Henrico Citizen reported that, according to court documents, the victim was 12 years old at the time and that she was sexually assaulted by Lakey several times in a restroom on campus.
Lakey was indicted by a multi-jurisdictional grand jury on Aug. 25, 2021. He was taken into custody Currituck County, N.C. without incident and waived an extradition hearing and was transferred to Virginia to face the charges.
Prior to his arrest, Lakey had been a teacher and coach for nearly 40 years. Henrico County Public Schools said Lakey was placed on administrative leave in April 2021 when the allegations first came to light and he remains on administrative leave.
This is a developing story.
