Horse trainer at Oakland’s Piedmont Stables charged with 21 counts of alleged child sex abuse

OAKLAND — Alameda County prosecutors have filed 21 felony charges against a 37-year-old horse trainer, alleging he sexually abused a girl for months at stables, trails, and secret trips to hotels around the state, eventually raising the suspicions of at least one colleague.

Justen Lewis, of Knolls, was charged with unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, arranging to meet a minor for sex, committing lewd acts on a 14-year-old child, and possessing child pornography, which authorities allege Lewis made by videotaping some of the alleged abuse. Lewis, who worked as a trainer at Piedmont Stables at the time, was arrested July 8 and booked into Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, where he remains on a no-bail hold, court records show.

The investigation, led by the East Bay Regional Parks Police Department, started with a tip from a horse trainer, a woman Lewis had dated years ago, who said she recently became suspicious of him and befriended the alleged victim, according to court records. Police eventually seized text message communications between her and the girl, where she reportedly described some of the alleged sexual abuse and said Lewis stressed to her what was happening had to “stay secret,” or else, “there will be bad consequences, especially for me. That’s scares me,” authorities said in court filings.

The criminal complaint details alleged crimes that date back to January, including allegedly groping her at “stables,” and later taking her on trips around the Bay Area and beyond, including to hotels. That included a Valentine’s Day trip to a hotel, a ride to Stockton — ostensibly to inspect a horse — or riding deep into the Oakland Hills together. At least one instance involved Lewis allegedly inventing a horse-riding excuse to take the girl somewhere alone, but instead bought a hotel for them in Oakland, according to police.

Last June, police served warrants at the Piedmont Stables on Redwood Road, seizing Lewis’ cellphones, and interviewing his employer. On his phone were messages between Lewis and the girl, “discussing having had sexual intercourse and oral copulation as well as messages involving setting up dates, times and locations to conduct these sexual activities,” police said in court filings. Investigators also reportedly discovered videos and images of alleged sexual abuse, which police say Lewis shared with the girl.

Messages to the stables and its director were not immediately returned. Lewis lawyer was not identified by name in the latest minute order and couldn’t be reached for comment. Court filings indicate he pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and that a judge has set a preliminary hearing date for September, where prosecutors will present evidence and a judge will decide if there is enough to uphold the charges.