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Victim Testifies as Trial Opens for Ex-CPS Dean Accused of Sexual Abuse

The proceedings will scrutinize seven felony counts after the former dean rejected a plea deal

People enter and exit Little Village Lawndale High School, April 11, 2024, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
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Brian Crowder gets in a vehicle after leaving the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago, July 1, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Overview

  • Tuesday’s proceedings began with the former student describing how Crowder, then a dean at Little Village Lawndale’s Social Justice High School, used Snapchat messages to initiate a relationship when she was 15.
  • Prosecutors say Crowder abused his authority to maintain the relationship from 2013 to 2016, resulting in seven felony charges including two counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault.
  • Last week, Crowder turned down a plea agreement that would have limited his sentence to six years and required lifetime sex-offender registration.
  • According to court records, he posed as the student’s stepfather to obtain consent for two abortions during her high school years and arranged a third after she graduated.
  • The trial revives questions about Chicago Public Schools’ response to abuse allegations after a 2018 Tribune investigation and a related 2024 civil lawsuit.