09/23/2025
This story is terrifying!!!
A former Sumner County elementary school custodian has been convicted on 38 felony counts after attempting to sexually exploit a 10-year-old student. This conviction follows a three-day jury trial and stems directly from the fantastic investigation by our SRO Special Investigations Unit.
On December 18, 2024, SRO Deputy Jacob Sprouls and SRO-Sergeant Darren Rager arrested Tracy Lee Crews just one day after he handed a locked cellphone to a 10-year-old student at J.W. Wiseman Elementary School. The child’s parent discovered the device and notified school officials, who contacted our office.
What followed was a textbook example of solid SRO casework and collaborative response. During an interview with Deputies Sprouls and Sgt. Rager, Crews eventually confessed that his intent was for the student to access the pornographic material on the phone, and worse, to create child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and send it back to him.
A search of Crews’ vehicle turned up a greeting card intended for the child, which included a handwritten note, $20 bill, and the passcode to the phone.
The forensic review of the device revealed dozens of pornographic images and videos, further strengthening the case built by our SIU.
Last week, a Sumner County jury returned guilty verdicts on the following charges:
1 count of Attempted Especially Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor
1 count of Solicitation of a Minor to Commit Especially Aggravated Sexual Exploitation
36 counts of Attempted Exploitation of a Minor Under 13 by Electronic Means
Crews now faces up to 156 years in prison without the possibility of parole or early release. Sentencing is set for November 24, 2025 before Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Nichols.
Major credit goes to our SRO Special Investigations Unit, whose proactive posture, specialized training, and victim-centered approach continue to protect the most vulnerable in our community. Thank you also to Thomas Dean, District Attorney General, and ADA Nathan Nichols and Tara Wyllie, Ashley's Place-Sumner Child Advocacy Center and Sumner County Schools, for their key roles in this outcome.
Predators will be held accountable. We are watching. We will act. We will stand in the gap.
