Anna Marie Crocker (Photo provided by Kenosha County Sheriff's Department)
KENOSHA COUNTY, Wis. - A former Kenosha County elementary school staffer will spend decades in prison for child sex crimes.
Prison sentence
In court:
Anna Marie Crocker pleaded guilty in December to seven felonies, including first-degree child sexual assault and second-degree sexual assault of a child, in December.
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On Tuesday, the Kenosha County District Attorney's Office said Crocker was sentenced to 51 ½ years in prison and will not be eligible for release until she is in her 80s. She is currently 34 years old.
Kenosha County Sheriff's Department
"This case represents a profound breach of trust. When an adult connected to our schools exploits our children, the harm is severe and lasting," Kenosha County District Attorney Xavier Solis wrote in a statement on Facebook.
"This sentence sends a clear message to any school employee who prey on our children, in Kenosha County, you will be held accountable. We have had issues in our schools, and my office takes these matters extremely seriously. Protecting children and preserving the integrity of our educational institutions will always be a top priority."
The backstory:
The sheriff's department said Crocker worked at Riverview Elementary in Silver Lake. According to the school district's website, she started as a substitute in 2020 and became a full-time educational assistant the following year. The Silver Lake-Salem Joint 1 School District board held a special meeting to announce her termination after the charges were filed against her.
WARNING: Information provided below may be disturbing to some readers. Discretion is advised.
Riverview Elementary, Silver Lake
The alleged crimes involved a current student and a former student of the school, according to the sheriff's department.
Prosecutors said the alleged sexual assault happened over the winter of 2023-2024. The victim said he was at Crocker's home for a sleepover, and he was asleep in the basement when Crocker woke him up, removed his pants and sexually assaulted him. He said Crocker tried to hide, but the other kids "saw what happened."
The victim said what took place was not consensual, according to court filings, and he told her repeatedly to get off and tried to push her off – but she wouldn't listen. He was 12 years old at the time.
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Months later, court filings said the victim said he got a text from Crocker in which she told him to apologize to her "for what happened in the basement." He described it as her "trying to make him feel guilty." She told him he could not tell anyone what happened, he said.
Prosecutors said a 14-year-old boy also reported that Crocker "had been inappropriate with him" and the two exchanged "sexual chats and pictures" via Snapchat. He also said Crocker sexually assaulted him in a parking lot in August 2024.
In an interview with a detective, a criminal complaint said Crocker admitted to receiving a sexual video from the 14-year-old victim and saving it. She also admitted that she sent the video to a student at that victim's school. The detective seized and searched the phone, which included the video in a password-protected section of the phone.
Dig deeper:
Twin Lakes police spoke to a 13-year-old boy and his parents on Oct. 10, 2024. According to an amended criminal complaint, the victim said he told a school staff member that Crocker sent him inappropriate messages, including multiple videos of herself performing a sex act.
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The victim said he initially thought it was a "workout video" when he opened it and did not respond, per the complaint, saying he was "too young for that." The victim also said he got scared because he heard Crocker "raped" another juvenile.
A search of Crocker's cellphone uncovered several videos of what looked like the videos the victim described, according to prosecutors. It also showed Crocker added the victim on Snapchat in September 2024, and they exchanged more than 200 messages, photos and videos in a matter of days.
Court filings noted the search of Crocker's Snapchat data also located a conversation between her and a 16-year-old boy, who she added on the platform on Oct. 9, 2024 – one day before she would be taken into custody.
Messages showed she asked the victim if he wanted to have sex with her. She tried to make plans for the boy to come to her house on Oct. 11 to have sex; she would ultimately be in custody on that date. The victim told investigators they talked about having sex, but never "went through with it." He also said she sent him pictures "in which sex was ‘inferred.’"
The Source: FOX6 News referenced information from the Kenosha County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.