A former Wilkes County athletic trainer who was arrested earlier this year for sexual exploitation of a minor has been indicted by a Federal Grand Jury according to a statement released by Department of Justice’s U.S. Attorney’s Office
for the Western District of North Carolina.

Frank Darrell Cromwell

According to the statement, “a federal grand jury sitting in Charlotte has returned a 21-count superseding indictment against Frank Darrell Cromwell, 23, of Boone, N.C., charging him with enticement of a minor, production of child pornography, communicating threats, cyberstalking, and related offenses.”

The charges include:

• nine counts of production of child pornography
• four counts of distribution, receipt and attempt receipt of child pornography
• three counts of enticement of a minor, two counts of cyberstalking a minor
• one count of interstate communication of threats, one count of advertising of child pornography
• one count of possession of child pornography

Each of these counts also carries a maximum fine of $250,000 per count.

The child pornography charges carry a minimum of 15 years and a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison per count while the distribution and receipt/attempted receipt of child pornography carry a minimum of five years and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison per count.

The other porn charges, advertising of child pornography and possession of child porn carry penalties of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison respectively.

Enticement of a minor has a minimum penalty of 10 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison per count.  Cyberstalking carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison per count and the interstate communication of threats carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison.

“This individual allegedly tried to gain access to children by obtaining employment in places where he could embed himself with underage boys, including a high school, a summer camp, a middle school, and a behavioral healthcare facility,” said U.S. Attorney Murray in the statement.  ”

“Protecting our children from predators is one of our highest priorities. I urge parents to have a conversation with their children about the dangers of online communications and social media, where predators can use fake names and profiles to weave a heinous web of lies to lure young and innocent children,” said Murray.

The documents allege that Cromwell used a cell phone app contact and entice minor male victims to produce and send to Cromwell sexually explicit images and videos of themselves.

The press statement states that the superseding indictment alleges Cromwell used the following names online to contact the young victims: “Savannah,” “princesssav222,” “lickmeup5020,” “Sav,” “frankie5020,” “Lauren,” “Sydney,” “Sarah,” “Lily,” “Kaylee,” and “Stephanie.”

Cromwell is accused of misleading the minors involved to believe that he was a female and used female names and images to get the minors to send him child pornography and engage in sexual activity.

If you believe that you or someone you know may have been a victim or have information related to the conduct referenced this case please contact the Boone Police Department at (828) 268-6938.

The federal charging documents include a previously filed criminal complaint and go back to at least March of 2018.

As previously reported by this site Frank Darrell Cromwell was arrested on February 26th and charged with 5 counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and 4 counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

Law enforcement has identified 10 victims so far and indicated that Cromwell met some of the victims through his Appalachian State University internship as an athletic trainer at Watauga High School.

Watauga County Schools indicates that Cromwell was an Appalachian State University student in the 2017-18 school year when he was interning at Watauga High.

Apparently, Cromwell had been employed with West Wilkes Middle School during the 2018-19 school year under contract through Daymark Recovery Services, which provides mental health counseling services to both Wilkes elementary and middle school students.

Wilkes School Superintendent Mark Byrd said told the Journal Pilot that Cromwell was hired Oct. 15 and was contracted for the wrestling season that ended in the first week of February.

Daymark Executive Director Billy West told the Journal Pilot that Cromwell’s duties “basically provided supportive counseling, monitoring and supervision, along with other staff, as a team.” and that Cromwell “was in constant supervision of other staff and was never alone with any children or staff for that matter.”

“Mr. Cromwell passed all background checks and had positive references and we had no reason to believe there were nor would ever be any concerns,” Daymark Executive Director Billy West said in an email to the Journal Patriot.

In October of 2018, the Journal Patriot reported that a Daymark Counselor out of the Wilkes office, Katrina Bullock, was charged with “assault by strangulation and misdemeanor child abuse as a result of an incident involving a 9-year-old male student at C.C. Wright Elementary School.”