Charges filed Monday, Aug. 18, against a Freeport Area School District elementary school teacher and Pittsburgh area volleyball coach claim he raped and sexually abused a teenage girl on multiple occasions between July 2023 and 2025 under the guise of offering her “self-defense lessons.”

Jared C. Lampus, of Sarver, is accused of engaging in inappropriate contact with the girl beginning in July 2023 when she was 16 years old. At that time, the teen was attending a volleyball practice through Pittsburgh Elite Volleyball, where Lampus was a coach.

Police say the Buffalo Elementary teacher offered to let the girl shadow him at his classroom and learn self-defense, bought her meals and even met her in West Virginia once while sexually assaulting and later raping her multiple times over the past two years.

Lampus was charged with one felony count each of rape, human trafficking, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, sexual assault, intercourse with a student, sexual assault by a sports official, unlawful minor contact, corruption of minors and criminal attempt at involuntary deviate sexual intercourse; and one misdemeanor count each of corruption of minors and theft.

Charging documents indicate Lampus is 45 years old. A news release from state police previously indicated he was 50.

Charging documents detail alleged incidents happening in Butler, Allegheny and Armstrong counties, in addition to West Virginia.

Police said the girl relayed her experience in a Aug. 12 forensic interview.

Following a volleyball practice through Pittsburgh Elite Volleyball in July 2023, police said Lampus approached the girl in the parking lot and offered her private lessons. Lampus was given the girl’s phone number and told she was 16 years old, police said.

According to police, Lampus gave the girl a private lesson a week later and texted her after the lesson asking to meet at Starbucks. Police said Lampus bought the girl a coffee, told her about his teaching and offered her to shadow him. Lampus also told the girl he knew martial arts, according to police.

Police said Lampus touched the girl’s leg at this time and apologized.

Police said shortly after that interaction, the girl helped Lampus get his classroom at a Freeport Area elementary school ready for the school year prior to riding with Lampus to a volleyball practice with Pittsburgh Elite Volleyball. During the interaction, Lampus asked the girl if she wanted to learn martial arts and showed her maneuvers, according to the affidavit.

Lampus was a teacher at Buffalo Elementary School, according to state police. The district’s website showed no listing of him on its staff directory Monday.

A “Welcome to our class” webpage showed in September 2024 that he was a teacher of 25 years. The page showed he enjoyed martial arts, history, science, reading and coaching sports.

Police said the martial arts maneuvers Lampus showed the girl changed on her second or third visit to his classroom. Police said Lampus would choke the girl while the two were on the ground to show her how to get out of it, and Lampus would have the girl get on top of him and choke him while positioned close to her face.

Police said Lampus would also touch the girl’s legs and butt multiple times, and he kissed her.

Police said on other occasions, Lampus would drive the girl to the school and meet her for coffee. The two would meet at the Cranberry Township and Pittsburgh Mills Starbucks locations, according to the affidavit.

On one occasion when the two went to private gym, police said Lampus gave the girl three roses and instructed her to throw them away before she got home. Police said Lampus also texted the girl after to confirm she threw them away.

Lampus continued to give the girl lessons in self-defense and, on one occasion, asked her to go to the park with him to practice self-defense, police said. The girl was willing to go to the park because it was an open area with other people, according to the affidavit.

Police said after the two arrived at the park, Lampus instructed that the they use the back of his vehicle to practice self-defense. The teen told police Lampus explained that his vehicle isn’t spacious, but he didn’t want other people to think he was choking her, the affidavit showed.

Police said Lampus put the seat down in the vehicle and laid a blanket down before kissing the girl’s body and touching her sexually. The girl felt she should leave but was worried how it would affect her volleyball career, police said.

Lampus would then send long texts to the girl every day, always referring to their activities as self-defense, according to the affidavit.

Police said in October or November of 2023, the girl was attending a volleyball game in West Virginia when Lampus asked what she was doing. The affidavit showed Lampus met her in West Virginia, and the two went for lunch.

While parked in the back of the parking lot, police said Lampus began kissing the girl’s neck and touched the girl inappropriately.

The girl told police her relationship with Lampus changed in November 2023. Police said after a scheduled volleyball lesson at the former Freeport Middle School, the two went to Harrison Hills Park in Harrison Township, Allegheny County.

Police said the two arrived at the park and got into the back seat of Lampus’ vehicle. During the incident Lampus kissed the girl’s neck and had other sexual contact, according to the affidavit.

Police said Lampus would have the “lessons” with the girl twice per month between December 2023 and February 2024. Lampus would take the girl to the park or a coffee shop during the lessons and perform sexual acts.

In February 2024, police said Lampus had intercourse with the girl in a parking lot.

Police said during the summer of 2024, the two had intercourse on three occasions in Lampus’ classroom. Police said Lampus paid the girl for the sexual acts on this occasion and paid her to perform sexual acts multiple times.

On another occasion, Lampus had the girl pick him up at the airport and attempted to have her perform a sexual act, according to police.

Police said Lampus also sexually abused and raped the teen at his residence, handcuffing the girl on two occasions.

Lampus’ preliminary hearing has not yet been scheduled. State police said he’s being held in Butler County Prison.

He was arrested Friday in Buffalo Township.

Anyone with additional information into the allegations should call the state police Kittanning office at 724-543-2011.