Documents: Former Mustang Teacher Accused Of Raping Former Student

A former Mustang teacher is facing several charges after he was accused of raping a now-former student.

Court records in Canadian County said Raymond Thomas Garner, a former teacher, is facing a total of six charges regarding his relationship with a now-former student. 

Those charges include two counts of second-degree rape, two counts of sexual battery, one count of forcible sodomy and one count of rape by instrumentation. 

The victim was a student at the school from 2014 to 2017, when Garner and the student allegedly had hundreds of sexual encounters. 

Garner taught at Mustang High School for over 30 years. 

Defense Attorney Carter Jennings said the rape charge is a result of Garner's position as the alleged victim's teacher. 

"Somebody that is a teacher cannot engage in sexual contact with someone who is over the age of 16 even when that might be legal in other circumstances," Jennings said. 

The investigation began in January after a school resource officer notified police about rumors surrounding Garner. 

He was arrested February 1 after the victim came forward detailing their long-term unwanted relationship. Moving forward, Jennings said it’s a waiting game. 

"These cases can play out in a number of different ways,” he said. “Many times these cases don't even go to trial because they're so cut and dry." 

He also said this is a statewide issue, and there is opportunity to improve. 

“There's a public policy response that needs to take place here,” he said. “We want to punish those offenders if we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they are guilty of what they are charged with. But, we also need to see what we can do going forward." 

Mustang Public Schools released a statement following Garner's arrest, telling parents they are 100 percent committed to student's safety. 

“This is a difficult day for everyone associated with Mustang Public Schools. We are shocked, saddened and outraged; there are questions that we want answered and we are working with our law enforcement partners as they conduct their investigation to find those answers. What we can tell you is the same message that we have shared with our staff: MPS is 100% committed to the safety of our staff and students and we expect all employees to adhere to the highest ethical practices and conduct. We will not tolerate behaviors that compromise the safety of our children. We take every precaution to ensure the safety of our students, including requiring mandatory and thorough background checks and fingerprint clearance prior to hiring any individual. We expect that our staff conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times, and any time there is a question of safety or misconduct, we immediately investigate and notify the appropriate authorities. We ask that anyone with relevant or additional information about this situation to call the OSBI tip line at 1-800-522-8017 or email tips@osbi.ok.gov.” 

The district said they stand by their statements from February in light of these charges. We also reached out to Raymond Thomas' attorney who declined to comment.