A former Mustang High School teacher from Yukon will spend more than 14 years in prison after a Canadian County judge sentenced him on a series of sex crime charges involving a student he taught as a teenager.
Raymond Thomas Garner, 63, was sentenced on Feb. 23 after pleading no contest to six felony counts that prosecutors say involved repeated sexual assaults of a student between December 2014 and June 2017. The judge ordered multiple prison terms to run at the same time, a structure that prosecutors say works out to a minimum of roughly 14.45 years behind bars. The outcome has prompted sharp words from prosecutors and renewed scrutiny of how school systems handle abuse allegations against staff.
Court records show the Feb. 23 hearing took place in Canadian County District Court before Judge Paul Hesse, who accepted Garner’s no-contest pleas following a Jan. 12 bench proceeding, according to the Oklahoma State Courts Network. The docket lists two counts of second-degree rape, one count of forcible sodomy, one count of rape by instrumentation and two counts of sexual battery. The electronic record identifies the case as State of Oklahoma v. Raymond Thomas Garner, No. CF-2023-269.
Prosecutors and court filings state that the assaults happened both at Mustang High School and at Garner’s home, and that investigators obtained cell-phone records and physical evidence that backed up the victim’s account, according to Yukon Progress. In court, Assistant District Attorney Eric Epplin called Garner “a wolf in the proverbial hen house” and commended the victim for coming forward. A presentence report filed Feb. 13 noted that Garner “does not take responsibility for the instant offenses,” the outlet reported.
How the Investigation Unfolded
The case traces back to January 2023, when a school-resource officer relayed a tip that kicked off the criminal investigation. The Mustang Police Department and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation jointly opened a formal probe, according to KOCO.
Investigators said the reported victim was a chemistry student and National Honor Society member who told detectives the abuse started when she was 15. Mustang school officials told reporters they were “shocked, saddened and outraged” by the allegations and offered counseling to students after Garner’s arrest.
Sentence Breakdown and Next Steps
Court minutes show that the judge imposed concurrent terms on all six counts. Counts 1 and 2 each received 15-year sentences. Count 3 was entered as a 20-year sentence with all but 17 years suspended. Count 4 received 15 years, and counts 5 and 6 received 10 years each, all with credit for time served, according to the Oklahoma State Courts Network.
The minutes reflect that Garner was remanded to the Canadian County sheriff pending transfer to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. He will be supervised by DOC with special conditions of probation once released. Prosecutors and court filings have said the way the terms are structured will require Garner to serve at least 14.45 years in prison.
What Happens Next
Officials say Garner was booked into the Canadian County Jail on Jan. 12 and is slated to be moved into state custody to begin serving his time, according to Yukon Progress. The outlet also reported that Garner had no prior criminal record and had worked at Mustang High School from August 1991 until March 2023.
The court minutes and prosecutors’ statements mark the formal close of a case that began when a then-student disclosed years of abuse, and law enforcement went on to assemble phone records and physical evidence that investigators say corroborated her account.
