Darlington — A Monroe man was sentenced to nine months in jail and three years of probation in the Lafayette County Circuit Court for sexually assaulting a teenage girl. Phillip Lee Crooks, 47, pled guilty to Class H felony charge of false imprisonment and Class I exposing genitals to a child and misdemeanor charges of intimidating a victim, disorderly conduct, and 4th degree sexual assault in March. A felony charge of repeated sexual assault of the same child dismissed. 

District Attorney Jenna Gill argued for a sentence of three years in prison and three years of extended supervision. Crooks’ attorney Sarah Schmeiser argued for five years of probation and 30 days jail and to follow the recommendation of the presentence investigation. Substitute Judge Barbara McCrory so ordered nine months of jail on counts one and five and 90 days of jail on count two, all to run concurrently (all served at the same time) and three years’ probation to run consecutively (serve after the other sentences are served) to counts one, two, and five. 

According to the criminal complaint in June 2020 Crooks tried to touch the victim inappropriately. When she refused his advances, he blocked her from leaving, grabbing her by the arms and shoving her onto her bed, leaving bruises on her arms. He also took her phone and threw it at the victim. Once she left, Crooks repeatedly sent text messages and called her stating that “he was in love with her”.

The victim told officers Crooks began acting inappropriately with the victim when she was 15-years-old, touching her bare breast and forcing her to touch his genitals. The victim stated she was “very uncomfortable” and “grossed out” by his actions. When she was 16-years-old, Crooks would repeatedly take the blankets off of her while she slept nude and fondle her. 

Earlier in 2020, Crooks would sit next to the victim on the couch and rub her stomach and breasts under a blanket. The victim repeatedly told him to stop. The victim stated she was afraid to tell anyone because she was afraid, she would be blamed for Crooks sexually assaulting and it was all her fault. 

Crooks denied touching the victim in her teens but stated the he was in love with the victim and wanted to leave his wife for her.