Lawsuit: Lansing School District never contacted victim in sex assault investigation

LANSING — The Lansing School District never contacted a girl who said she was sexually assaulted by a police officer stationed at Eastern High School, according to a lawsuit. 

The girl, identified as Jane Doe in the lawsuit, said former Lansing Police School Resource Officer Matthew Priebe repeatedly sexually assaulted her on Eastern High School grounds and in his patrol vehicle. 

But, when the Lansing School District conducted an internal investigation on Priebe's actions, officials did not speak to Doe, according to the lawsuit. A copy of the school's investigation obtained by the State Journal is too heavily redacted to confirm if Doe was interviewed. 

"They have Title IX in place for situations like this, and they failed to (utilize it)," Doe told the State Journal Thursday. "It seems like they just don’t get it, they don’t get it needs to stop."

One of the girl's teachers also said she told former Principal Donna Pohl several years before criminal charges were filed against Priebe that she was concerned about the time Doe was spending in Priebe's office. The lawsuit alleges Pohl never did anything to investigate the teacher's concerns. 

Priebe was sentenced to one year in jail and five years of probation after he pleaded no contest to second-degree criminal sexual conduct, attempted fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, misconduct in office and two counts of assault and battery. He will also have to register as a sex offender. In exchange for his plea, one charge of distributing sexually explicit material to a minor was dismissed. 

Doe was one of three girls named in the charges. 

The lawsuit names former Superintendent Yvonne Caamal Canul, acting Superintendent Mark Coscarella, Pohl, the district, Priebe and teacher Kimberly Petroff. 

Bob Kolt, spokesperson for the Lansing School District, did not immediately respond for comment Thursday. 

Avoiding Priebe's 'bad side'

Doe met Priebe her junior year at Eastern High School and they began to get to know each other, according to the lawsuit. 

He wanted to know about her parents, and Doe confided in him about her fears about their immigration status, according to the lawsuit. Priebe used the Law Enforcement Information Network to look up her father, which violates state law. 

He told her they were becoming best friends and building trust in one another, which made Doe uncomfortable. She began to fear Priebe would negatively impact her parents' immigration statuses, according to the lawsuit. 

Priebe sent Doe photos of violent suicide scenes and told her he "couldn't wait until she would let him have sex with her," according to the lawsuit. She felt if she didn't comply with his demands, he'd retaliate against her family. 

"Jane Doe felt traumatized by Priebe and did not want to be on his 'bad side' because she did not want to cause any more stress for her family," the lawsuit states. 

Scared to report

With the door to his office closed, Priebe picked up Doe and set her on his lap, according to the lawsuit. He pulled out his penis from his pants, placed her hand on it and made her move it up and down on his penis, she said. He tried to undo her pants, but she stopped him. 

Another time, he pinned her against a wall outside the school and ran his hands over her body, according to the lawsuit. He told her he wished he could go back to high school to date her and start a life with her. 

She blamed herself for Priebe's advances and feared that if she reported it, people would think she was "crushing on" the police officer," according to the lawsuit. She was scared the other students would blame her if Priebe was removed from the school and spread negative rumors and gossip. 

Criminal charges

The district and Lansing Police Department were notified of the misconduct allegations in May 2018. Priebe was placed on administrative leave immediately, former Chief Mike Yankowski said after Priebe was charged in February with sexually assaulting three girls, including Doe. 

Priebe resigned from the police department on June 22, 2018, as state police investigated his actions. He had been with the department for 10 years.

At his sentencing hearing, Priebe apologized to the three girls and to his wife and children. 

"I'm sorry for letting down everyone," Priebe said. "I would do anything possible to change what happened." 

Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Joyce Draganchuk said Priebe could not minimize the harm he "intentionally inflicted on these young women."

"You said you intended no harm, even then, but that's not true," Draganchuk said. "You're a grown man...You were sworn to serve and protect. With the position you were in, you were most highly in the position to protect these girls." 

Read more: 

'You were sworn to serve and protect': Ex-LPD officer sentenced for sex assault of 3 girls

Ex-Lansing officer charged in school sexual assaults of 3 students takes plea deal

Records: Ex-LPD officer tried to kiss, molest girls at high school, in patrol vehicle

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Contact reporter Kara Berg at 517-377-1113 or kberg@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @karaberg95.