BY PHIL CUSTODIO
Clarkston News Editor
Former Clarkston-area teacher Jason William Dean faces up to life in prison for engaging in a sexual relationship with an eighth grade student in 2010.
Dean, 36, of Livonia was arrested on Jan. 27 by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Apprehension Team.
At the time of the alleged assaults, Dean was a teacher and soccer and basketball coach at Cedar Crest Academy in Springfield Township.
“This teacher has not been employed by Cedar Crest Academy or present on our campus since August 2010,” said Tracy Moen, director, and Bette Moen, founder, in a statement to the community. “Cedar Crest Academy had no knowledge of this situation until Jan. 28, 2020. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement and following their directives for information we may release.”
In January 2020, the female former student reported she had a sexual relationship with her eighth-grade teacher in 2010 when she was 14 years old.
“I applaud this brave victim in coming forward to report this truly atrocious behavior by a teacher,” said Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard. “Our teachers are supposed to be trusted mentors, role models, and leaders for our children, and when one violates this trust, they must be held accountable and punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Sheriff’s Office Special Investigation Unit and Computer Crimes Unit found the allegations could be corroborated. The relationship lasted about two years, according to Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office.
According to prosecutors, the relationship started on AOL instant messaging, and turned into a sexual relationship in January 2010, with sex at a residence in White Lake, in Dean’s parents’ van outside the Cedar Crest school, inside his classroom, at a Quality Inn Hotel in Waterford, an apartment he rented in Waterford, and on an airplane on a return flight from Orlando, Fla., during the eighth grade class trip.
Dean was charged with three counts of Felony Criminal Sexual Conduct – First Degree. He was arraigned on Jan. 29 in front of the Hon. Judge Joseph Fabrizio at the 52-2 District Court in Independence Township, with a $500,000 bond, with 10 percent allowed to be posted on release.
Dean was arraigned out of the 51stDistrict Court in Waterford in front of the Hon. Judge Richard Kuhn on Jan. 30 on two additional charges of CSC 1, given a $500,000 bond without 10 percent allowed.
He posted and was released on Jan. 31. Bond conditions include GPS tether and no drugs, alcohol, or firearms, no contact with victim, witnesses, school officials, or minors unless supervised by adults, except for his children.
The Cedar Crest officials said student safety is their first concern.
“Our primary concern is for the safety, health, and well-being of our students, staff, families, and community,” according to the Cedar Crest statement. “We believe there is no threat of safety to our current students and families. We will work in cooperation with authorities. Thank you for your understanding as we work collectively with you, law enforcement, and the greater educational community.”
Probable cause conference at 52-2 District Court is scheduled for Feb. 10. A preliminary examination is scheduled for Feb. 18, but may need to be adjusted to meet attorneys’ schedules, Fabrizio said.
To report further information on the case, call the Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit at 248-858-4984.