A high school teacher in Manchester was arrested and charged with attempted sex trafficking of a minor.
Stacey Lancaster, a 46-year-old teacher at Manchester West High School, was arrested last week after he tried to arrange sexual acts with a purported 12-year-old child. He was one of five people caught in an undercover sting operation by the US Homeland Security Investigations.
Lancaster, from Hudson, appeared in federal court Monday afternoon and was released with conditions.
According to court documents, Lancaster responded to an online advertisement planted by law enforcement while at school and engaged in text communications about potential sexual encounters with a minor.
Lancaster unknowingly asked an undercover office for a “QV,” or a “quick visit.”
The undercover officer stated that there were two girls, 12 and 14 years old, available to perform sex acts in exchange for money.
“Did you say she’s 12? Are you being serious?” Lancaster wrote. “That’s really bad if that’s true.”
Lancaster initially expressed concern that he could be talking to an undercover officer, to which the officer replied, “”No!!! And i dont need trouble. r u with police?? if u are u gotta tell me!” Lancaster continued the conversation.
The officer provided fictitious photos of both the 12-year-old and 14-year-old child at Lancaster’s request. Lancaster chose to meet the younger child and agreed to pay $100. He then agreed to meet the child at a hotel at 3:15 p.m., just after he left school.
When he arrived at the hotel, Lancaster first met with an undercover female officer. During the interaction, Lancaster showed his mobile wallet and discussed payment.
Lancaster was suspicious at first, according to documents.
Lancaster asked the agent to touch his crotch area “in order to demonstrate to Lancaster that UC2 (under cover officer 2) was not affiliated with law enforcement,” court documents say. The undercover officer did so.
Lancaster then asked if he could touch the undercover officer before proceeding to touch the officer’s breast, according to court documents. Lancaster then confirmed that he was willing to use a condom and that he would leave the money with the 12-year-old girl.
Law enforcement officers arrested Lancaster and took him into custody.
He was released on Nov. 18 with conditions to stay be monitored on the internet, give up his passport, avoid unsupervised contact with children, and live with his mother in Raymond, New Hampshire.
Manchester School District Superintendent Jennifer Chimel said in a statement Lancaster is on administrative leave. She said Lancaster oversees the school’s naval junior ROTC program and is a liaison between the US Navy and the school district. Chimel stated there is currently no information connecting the arrest to any school students.
“At this time we do not have information that connects this arrest to a student within our district,” she said.
Chimel called the information about Lancaster engaging in conversations during the school day “disturbing.”
“This revelation adds another layer of grave concert to an already disturbing series of allegations against Mr. Lancaster,” Chimel said in the statement.
Attempts to reach Lancaster’s attorney Jaye L. Rancourt weren’t successful.
Four men from Massachusetts were also arrested for allegedly trying to meet minors at the Manchester hotel.
Arthur Picanco, 42, of Bradford, Massachusetts, and Ozeias Luiz Guilherme, 38, of Haverhill, Massachusetts, were both arrested on Nov. 14. Sharath Chandra Bollu, 23, and Koteshwara Raju Jonnagodda, 24, both of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, were arrested on Nov. 15, and are also in federal custody.
