Former Butler County volleyball coach and teacher held for court on charges of raping teenager

A 50-year-old former volleyball coach and elementary school teacher from Butler County has been held for court on charges of raping a 16-year-old girl. 

Jared Lampus of Buffalo Township is accused of having sexual relations with the young woman over a two-year period and faces a number of charges, including rape, involuntary sexual intercourse and corruption of minors. 

The alleged victim is now 18 and starting college out of state, but testifying via Zoom, she detailed sexual encounters she said she had with Lampus when she was 16 years old. 

At the conclusion, District Judge Jack D. Ripper held Lampus for court on all charges and declined to reduce his bail of $500,000. 

According to the young woman, Lampus had been her private volleyball coach but began grooming her for sex, beginning with touching and escalating to intercourse over a two-year period. 

She said the encounters happened in the parking lot of Starbucks, at Lampus' home where he lived with his then-wife, on out-of-state trips and in a classroom where he had been a teacher at Buffalo Elementary School. 

"He would give me money for my services," she testified.

"Is that what he said?" asked the assistant district attorney.

"Yes. He would put money in my bra," she replied.  

Lampus' defense attorney asked the woman whether she had ever resisted and whether she had ever told anyone else, to which she said no. But she said she believed that if she told, it could hurt her aspirations of playing volleyball in college. 

Lampus was returned to the Butler County Jail, where he will now await trial on all charges. The Freeport Area School District has placed him on leave. 

In asking the judge not to reduce bail, the distrcit attorney's office said Lampus was a flight risk and had withdrawn cash and had packed bags at the time of his arrest. No trial date has been set.