MIAMI, Okla. — A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a former Miami School District teacher on charges that he traveled from Missouri to Oklahoma to have sex with a 14-year-old, according to a sealed federal criminal complaint.
Ronald Dale Sanders, 55, whose home address is listed as Belton, Mo., in the sealed document filed in the United States District Court in Tulsa, is accused of traveling from Belton to Welch on more than one occasion, to engage in illicit sexual conduct with an American Indian teen on tribal land.
The Ottawa County warrant is in connection to Sanders’ state charge of driving with a suspended license and transporting an open container of liquor. He was arrested after the teen’s father reportedly caught Sanders with the girl.
The complaint says Sanders is a current instructor at Hickman Mills Middle School, in the Kansas City area. However, the Missouri Department of Education says Sanders is not an employee of Hickman Mills, but said he was employed with the Lamar School District.
The Lamar School District confirmed Sanders left the school in May 2023.
The teen told officials she met Sanders when he was a teacher at Miami High School. School officials addressed the situation on a social media post.
Officials say Sanders arrived at the victim’s house in Welch around 10:45 p.m., on or about October 14th. According to the complaint, at about 11:30 the victim’s father said he realized the front door to the home was unlocked. That’s when he said he noticed a blue Nissan car parked behind his house in the alleyway.
The teen’s father went to her room and discovered she was missing. He told officials he checked the location of her phone and it showed the phone was in the area of the blue Nissan parked behind his house, the complaint states.
The victim’s father called her on the phone and when he didn’t get an answer, about 20 minutes later, he drove his truck to the alleyway and parked behind the Nissan. He told officials he saw the teen walking away from the car and towards their house. When he started to get out of his truck, the Nissan backed into his truck and then sped away from the area.
The father followed the Nissan from Welch into Ottawa County, calling 911. Ottawa County Sheriff’s deputies and Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers were able to stop the car. They said the driver of the car was identified as Ronald Sanders.
The complaint states that when authorities impounded and searched Sanders’ vehicle, they seized numerous sex toys.
Sanders posted bond and was released from the Ottawa County jail on October 15. He failed to show up to court on October 20th on the state charges.
Oklahoma law states a 14-year-old can not consent to a sexual relationship.
Oklahoma Statutes
The victim told investigators she and Sanders engaged in several sexual encounters on October 8 in the backseat of Sanders’s car.
The victim’s mother filed an Order of Protection against Sanders.
Sanders faces a DWI violation in Missouri.
This is a developing story and we will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.
