Rutherford County, TN - WGNS has more news on the owner of a horse stable in Christiana who was charged in the rape of a teenage girl. The suspect is a former English teacher for the Rutherford County Schools, having taught for 15-years at both Riverdale and Blackman High Schools before getting into trouble for an incident that was investigated by the sheriff's office in 2008.
51-Year-old Jason Lancaster was taken into custody this past week after an extensive investigation, according to a Rutherford County Sheriff’s detective. The Criminal Warrant's for the suspect were issued on September 27th and served two days later on September 29th. Lancaster, who lives on Panther Creek Road in Christiana, was charged with three counts of Statutory Rape by an Authority Figure, two counts of Rape, three counts of Sexual Battery by an Authority Figure, one count of Bribery of a Witness, along with one count of Stalking. All of those charges are tied to incidents that reportedly occurred earlier this year on April 14th. Lancaster is also facing a single charge of Tampering with Evidence for an incident on September 21, 2023. Lancaster is facing a total of 10 Felony Counts and 1 Class A Misdemenor (4 Class C Felonies, 1 Class D Felony and 5 Class B Felonies).
On Monday, Lancaster appeared in General Sessions Court via a video feed from jail. During his short appearance, he learned his bond would remain at $1-million. A continuance was also granted in the case and the suspect is scheduled to re-appear before Judge Bennett this coming Monday, October 9th at 8:32 AM. A Criminal Hearing is also scheduled for November 14, 2023 at 8:32 AM. For the time being, the case remains in General Sessions Court under Judge Bennett and Lancaster is being provided with a public defender, according to court documents.
WGNS learned on Monday that the charges the suspect is currently facing involve a teenage girl who accused Lancaster of inappropriately touching her. The teen also reported Lancaster paid her $1,000 to remain quiet about the contact he reportedly had with her. He is also accused of showing up at her new place of employment on one occasion.
The incidents started this past April when the 51-year-old kissed the young teenage girl on the neck and fondled her, according to court documents. The victim also accused Lancaster of forcing her to perform oral sex at least twice. Further more, detectives show that the suspect was reported to be the teens employer, which put Lancaster in a position of authority over the victim. That "Position of Authority" enhanced some of the charges.
Rutherford County Detective Amanda McPherson has been investigating Lancaster and noted, “Lancaster is the owner of Pinnacle Stables in Christiana where he possibly had sexual contact with other victims.” McPherson stated, “If you feel you have been a victim of Jason Lancaster or feel you can help with information, please call me at 615-904-3190.”
In 2008, the former Blackman High School English teacher was indicted by a Rutherford County Grand Jury on numerous charges that focused on sexual offenses. Some of those charges included solicitation of a minor, aggravated statutory rape and sexual exploitation of a minor. That case was investigated by Detective Mickey McCullough with the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office.
In court, a plea agreement was reached in 2009 and Lancaster was placed on the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry for four years. The agreement kept Lancaster our of prison, but barred him from continuing his profession of teaching, which was something he had done since 1993. The plea agreement allowed Lancaster to have his case expunged if he successfully completed four years of probation without getting into any further trouble with the long-arm of the law.
On Monday (10/02/2023), the schools confirmed that Lancaster was a teacher with the Rutherford County School system from 1993 to 2009. WGNS then confirmed with the state that Lancaster's teaching license was revoked and remains under a revoked status today.
In 2016, Lancaster was charged with stalking by Murfreesboro Detective Michael Yates. However, court records show the charge was disposed of on September 6th of the same year.
HORSES - During the course of the investigation, multiple horses were found to be in need of medical and nutritional attention. As a result, a total of twenty horses were removed from the property. The animals were removed by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. A total of 13 horses were taken to Premier Equine Rehab in Shelbyville, TN, which is less than 20-minutes from Pinnacle Stables. Those horses were in dire need of care and a vet is overseeing their stay and rehabilitation. WGNS was also told that some of the horses on the Pinnacle Stables property belonged to individual owners who utilized Lancaster's property. Evidently, several horses were picked up by their rightful owner(s) and transported to another stable in the area. At least one horse was removed by an owner one to three days before Lancaster's arrest. Google.com now shows Pinnacle Stables is "Permanently Closed."
See previous news story HERE.
DISCLAIMER: All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The arrest records or information about an arrest that are published or reported on NewsRadio WGNS and www.WGNSradio.com are not an indication of guilt or evidence that an actual crime has been committed.
