A federal judge ordered a 46-year-old Manchester High School West teacher be released to his mother’s home in Raymond after being arrested last week on a charge of attempted sex trafficking of a minor during a sting operation.
Prosecutor Matthew Vicinanzo argued before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrea K. Johnstone that Stacey Lancaster should remain in custody as the case proceeds because of the seriousness of the crime, calling Lancaster a danger to the community and a possible flight risk, with his ex-wife and two children living in Bahrain.
Last Thursday, Lancaster communicated with an undercover agent on a website “commonly used to advertise commercial sex acts,” according to an affidavit.
“He communicated throughout the day; he had time to think about what he was doing,” Vicinanzo said.
Stacey Lancaster, left, leaves court with his wife and mother Monday afternoon.
The messages to the undercover agent started at 7:21 a.m. Surveillance footage shows Lancaster leaving the school building around 2:50 p.m. and arriving at an unnamed hotel a short time later. Lancaster offered to pay $100 to have sex with a 12-year-old, Vicinanzo said.
“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 was physically at work at the school where he is believed to be employed,” Vicinanzo’s detention request reads.
Vicinanzo didn’t believe the release conditions were enough to quell the “extreme concern” of the government for a charge that carries a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.
Lancaster was arrested along with four men from Massachusetts during the sting operation led by Homeland Security.
Left court smiling
Under the conditions of his release, Lancaster must seek active employment, refrain from possessing a firearm, surrender his passport and refrain from using or possessing narcotics. He also cannot have unsupervised contact with minors, including his two stepchildren, and must not use the internet.
Lancaster left the court smiling alongside his wife and mother. He held the door open for his wife to sit in the front seat of a Toyota SUV.
Stacey Lancaster holds the car door for his wife as they leave the federal courthouse in Concord Monday afternoon.
Jonathan Phelps/Union Leader
The case does not involve a student within the district, according to a letter from Manchester School Superintendent Jennifer Chmiel, who sat in the courtroom next to U.S. Attorney Jane Young during the hearing.
According to that statement, Lancaster remains on leave.
“It was revealed in court documents that his alleged illegal activities took place during the school day. This revelation adds another layer of grave concern to an already disturbing series of allegations against Mr. Lancaster,” Chmiel wrote.
Court-appointed defense attorney Jaye Rancourt argued Lancaster “showed distaste” based on the information he was receiving when meeting with the undercover agent.
“He was attempting to leave at the time he was detained,” she said.
Vicinanzo pointed to a segment of the text message exchange to demonstrate that Lancaster was aware of the girl’s age: “Did you say she’s 12? Are you being serious. That’s really bad if that’s true.”
Lancaster also appeared familiar with the language used to engage in commercial sex acts as evidenced in the text message exchange, the prosecutors said.
“The chats are full of multiple references to the age,” Vicinanzo said.
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