Victim thought of former Sun Prairie SRO accused of sexual assault as a mentor, complaint says

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – The former Sun Prairie Police Dept. school resource officer accused of sexually assaulting a student had been considered a mentor by the victim at the time of the alleged incidents, the criminal complaint against him alleges.

According to the complaint, the victim would have been around 16 years old around the time of the alleged encounters, which prosecutors say happened between January 2018 and June 2019 and were only reported recently. It cites statements given by the victim this summer to Madison Police Dept. investigators.

Looking back, the victim recalls not having any friends at the time, drinking frequently, losing himself when the suspect, Lamont Crockett, noticed him at school. An individual identified in the complaint as a witness told investigators the victim believed there were no Black people with whom he could relate and that he was looking for a Black role model. The witness added it was around that time that Crockett befriended the teen while in the high school hallways, the complaint continued.

Prosecutors also noted Crockett explained to investigators that he had tried to serve as a mentor. The complaint noted Crockett claimed he reached out to a lot of kids, mostly young Black men at the school, and he believed he was doing a good job.

The complaint details an escalating relationship between Crockett and the victim, and how they started hanging out together after hours. Both sides acknowledged a time where the victim spent a significant amount of time at Crockett’s home. The complaint details multiple sexual encounters recounted by the victim; allegations Crockett mostly denied, although prosecutors claimed he did acknowledge some explicit encounters.

Dane Co. prosecutors filed the complaint on Monday as Crockett, 34, made his initial appearance in court. He was charged with one count of sexual assault of a child by a person who works or volunteers with children, along with child enticement and exposing a child to harmful material. After he was charged, Crockett was released on a $500 signature bond.

The second and third charges against Crockett stem from allegations that arose after his arrest in August of this year. A witness saw his mug shot and realized he was a mentor through the Big Brother Big Sister program to someone she knew.

The complaint says the witness relayed to police sexual jokes and comments allegedly made by Crockett to this new victim. Officers spoke with the boy and he reportedly told them about several instances of Crockett allegedly making comments about sexual actions between them or their genitals.

At the time of his arrest, MPD noted Crockett was law enforcement officer with the Wisconsin Department of Justice- Division of Criminal Investigation and that he had been placed on administrative leave. In a statement last month, the state Justice Dept. described the allegations as serious charges and indicated it was cooperating fully with the investigation.

The agency added he had been hired as a Medical Fraud Investigator and, in addition to being on administrative leave, he has no access to DOJ offices or equipment.

The DOJ, Sun Prairie Police Department and Sun Prairie Area School District have all been cooperative in the investigation, MPD indicated.

SASD leaders said in a message to all families that Crockett was a school resource officer from 2018-2020 at Sun Prairie High School. They noted the Crockett was not a district employee.

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