Former GCHS Teacher Takes Plea Deal

A former Glenwood Community High School teacher accused of having sex with a student and supplying alcohol to another student has reached an agreement with prosecutors to plead guilty to a lesser charge.

Russell Crouch, 39, of Glenwood, was arrested and charged last May with sexual exploitation by a school employee, an aggravated misdemeanor, and supplying alcohol to a minor, a serious misdemeanor.

On Dec. 22, Crouch and his attorney, William Bracker of Council Bluffs, reached an agreement with prosecutor Jeremy Peterson to reduce the sexual exploitation by a school employee charge to assault with intent to inflict serious injury, also an aggravated misdemeanor, in exchange for a guilty plea and a deferred judgment.

As part of the plea deal, if Crouch successfully completes a year of formal probation without any new violations, the assault with intent to inflict serious injury charge will be removed from his record. The supplying alcohol to a minor charge was dismissed. Because he reached an agreement on the amended charge, Crouch will not have to register as a sex offender but he will have to complete court ordered counseling and therapy sessions.

Peterson, who is the Page County attorney, handled the Crouch case due to a potential conflict of interest in Mills County. Crouch’s father, Richard Crouch, serves on the Mills County Board of Supervisors. The prosecutor said the deal with Crouch was reached after “considering the evidence in the entire case.”

“This was an agreement made after looking at all the evidence and talking with witnesses, including the alleged victim, in the case and this was the plea agreement that resulted from that,” Peterson said.

Peterson declined to discuss the specifics of how the plea agreement was reached or what discussions he may have had with Crouch or his attorney.

Crouch’s original charges stemmed from a criminal complaint filed with the Glenwood Police Department last May alleging an inappropriate relationship between Crouch, a social studies and communications teacher and speech coach at the time, and a female student at the school.

Crouch is a 1994 GCHS graduate who had taught at the school since 2006. He resigned his teaching position May 18, just days after the school district turned over the results of its internal investigation to the Glenwood Police Department and placed Crouch on leave.

Crouch could not be reached for comment.