The former dean of a West Side high school has been charged with sexually assaulting a female student between her sophomore and senior years.
The abuse began in 2013 when Brian Crowder was serving as the dean of students at the Greater Lawndale High School for Social Justice, prosecutors said in bond court Tuesday.
Crowder, 32 at the time, began messaging the 15-year-old student on Snapchat and eventually brought her to his home, prosecutors said.
On one occasion in the summer of 2013, Crowder served the girl alcohol and sexually assaulted her, prosecutors said.
Crowder and the girl had sex five to six times a month from that summer to the summer of 2015, according to prosecutors.
In the fall of 2014, the girl became pregnant and Crowder brought her to get an abortion, posing as her stepfather in order to sign the consent forms and pay for the procedure, prosecutors said.
A year later, the girl became pregnant again and Crowder did the same as before, prosecutors said. During that year, the girl spoke out to a teacher who advised her to report the abuse, prosecutors said, but the girl feared her name being made public.
The girl ended contact with Crowder in the summer of 2015. Crowder reached out to her again in 2019 and, when she did not respond, found where she worked and called on her work phone line.
Following that incident, she spoke out to a friend and in September of 2021 filed a report with Chicago police, prosecutors said. Shortly afterward, Crowder texted her, “Goodbye forever,” prosecutors said
Crowder remained employed at the school until September of 2021, when administrators were made aware of the case, according to a statement sent to families this week from the current principal, Omar Chilous.
Crowder was terminated from his position in November of that year.
“I know this is difficult news for our entire community, and our counselors, social workers, and psychologists are available for students who need support,” Chilous wrote. “At Social Justice, we remain committed to providing our students with a safe, positive learning environment where they can reach their full potential.”
Crowder was taken into custody Tuesday and ordered held on a $75,000 bond.
