HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC)– A Henrico County gym teacher who was accused of sexually assaulting a student in 2017 is back in court this week.
A former Short Pump Middle School student accused Dean Lakey of sexually assaulting her multiple times during the 2017 school year.
Lakey was arrested in September 2021 and was originally charged with one count of rape, two counts of forcible sodomy and three counts of indecent liberties with a minor as a custodian. In the time since his arrest, his charges have been reduced to indecent liberties by a custodian and object sexual penetration.
Lakey had another trial earlier this year, but his case ended in a mistrial over the summer after the jury could not reach a unanimous decision.
On Tuesday, Oct. 11, his case was heard in court yet again.
Jury members were selected for the trial in Henrico County Circuit Court Tuesday morning. Just before noon, these jurors heard opening statements from the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
Alison Linas told jurors the reported victim was an earnest student and was every teacher’s dream. She earned good grades and was working on a project for an upcoming competition. Linas argued that this is what ultimately made the reported victim a target to Lakey.
Meanwhile, the defendant’s attorneys showed the jury receipts, text messages and schedules to outline where Lakey was during the alleged assaults.
After the opening statements concluded, a Henrico police officer took the stand. Then, the reported victim shared an emotional and descriptive testimony about the alleged assault, which would have taken placed when she was 12 years old.
After these statements, the defense cross examined the witness and questioned her credibility. According to the defense, the witness was inconsistent about the times of the assaults in her disclosures.
The three-day trial is scheduled to wrap up by Friday, Oct. 14.
