Pierce County prosecutors Monday charged a campus security officer at Tacoma’s Stadium High School with having illegal sexual contact with two students.
Donte D. Lipscomb, 31, pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor. Superior Court Judge pro-tem Sergio Armijo ordered Lipscomb jailed in lieu of $50,000 bail.
Lipscomb’s attorney, Desmond Kolke, said his client, who is a husband and the father of three, denies the charges and intends to fight them.
Tacoma police arrested Lipscomb last week after a nearly two-week investigation of his conduct. One of the teenage girls Lipscomb is accused of having sex with told school officials about the alleged relationship Jan. 13, according to charging papers.
The girl, now 17, later told detectives she and Lipscomb carried on a sexual relationship from June 2010 to June 2011. Lipscomb sometimes took her out of class so they could have sex on campus, the documents show.
The girl said she gave Lipscomb nearly $300 cash over the course of their relationship because she “thought he would like her more,” court records show.
She told detectives Lipscomb also was having sex with another girl.
That girl, also 17, told investigators she had sex one time with Lipscomb in the school security office in December. She also said Lipscomb called the girls to his office earlier this month and told the other girl to lie about their previous sexual relationship, the documents show.
It is illegal in Washington for school employees to have sex with students, even if the sex is consensual and the student is legally of age.
The school district placed Lipscomb on paid administrative leave and notified law enforcement immediately upon learning of the allegations against him, said Shannon McMinimee, the district’s attorney.
Lipscomb also coached Stadium High School’s “C” basketball team and previously worked at Oakland Alternative School, district spokesman Dan Voelpel said. He began working with the district in October 2006.
The district will conduct its own investigation into the matter, including reviewing policies and procedures involving campus security officers and their access to students, McMinimee said.
Adam Lynn: 253-597-8644
adam.lynn@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/crime
Twitter: @TNTadam"
