As a 5-year-old girl was being brutally and repeatedly raped by felon Curtis O’Brien, she daydreamed of ponies; she also mentioned killing herself. Despite the extreme gravity of the offense, Dane County Judge Susan Crawford released O’Brien on a $500 signature bond, Wisconsin Right Now has documented.
She allowed O’Brien to live across from a Black Earth, Wisconsin, elementary school and even authorized him to roam around Planet Fitness, court records show.
Crawford then gave him such a short sentence – well under the maximum of 60 years he could have faced – that he’s already out and living in Madison.
The fact that Crawford allowed O’Brien to live with his dad across from the Black Earth elementary school enraged and terrified local parents in the small town; one mother even organized a petition to get Crawford to change her mind, Wisconsin Right Now has documented.
But it didn’t work.
Instead, Crawford, who is now running for Wisconsin Supreme Court, repeatedly loosened Curtis O’Brien’s conditions so he could go to work, work out at Planet Fitness, stay at a hotel, and even walk his dog, court records show.
Most of the loosened conditions did require O’Brien to be supervised during those activities (by his parents or staff). However, Amber Hering, the mother who organized the petition drive, says that she often saw O’Brien walking alone around Black Earth, terrifying residents. Crawford’s order says she allowed O’Brien to have “incidental contact at public places” with kids.
In fact, court records show that Crawford held repeated bail hearings upholding the $500 signature bond for a period of two years, the latest in October 2022.
“It didn’t seem ethical or safe to me. I just couldn’t get my head around it – that he could sit on the front porch and have eyes on the playground,” Hering, a nurse, told Wisconsin Right Now in an exclusive interview.
“I was disgusted,” she said.
When Crawford sentenced O’Brien, she again showed the child rapist extreme leniency.
According to court records, O’Brien was convicted of repeatedly sexually assaulting the same child, with at least three violations of 1st-degree sexual assault.
Crawford sentenced him to only 4 years in prison on Oct. 31, 2022, with six years of extended supervision. He only served almost two years after that date because of time served. We have reached out to Crawford’s campaign for comment.
Corrections records show that O’Brien was released on extended supervision into the community on Sept. 3, 2024. Today, he lives on Emma Court in Madison, the sex offender registry says.
The details are extraordinarily horrific. O’Brien, who is now 30, was convicted of repeatedly sexually assaulting the child when she was ages 5 and 6, between 2012 and 2014, the criminal complaint says.
The child told police in great detail how O’Brien had sexual intercourse and oral intercourse with her repeatedly in the bathroom and basement of a house. She also described him repeatedly kissing and touching her sexually.
At one point, the girl said that she would daydream about ponies during the assaults and was scared and worried she was doing something wrong. During some of the assaults, he forced the girl to sit on the tub or bend over a toilet. She stated that it “really hurt,” the complaint says. The child told police she made a comment about “almost killing herself.” She didn’t tell her mom about the attacks because she was worried O’Brien would hurt her.
Of the 4-year sentence Crawford gave O’Brien, Hering said, “That’s dangerous. I really don’t understand it. As adults, it’s our job to protect children, and that’s just the opposite.”
Hering said she saw O’Brien “constantly walking around town,” when he was out on bail. She had two kids in the elementary school at the time. “No good vibes. I was walking one time, and he was walking less than a half step behind me and my girls. It outraged me.” He was definitely alone, she said. Hering also saw O’Brien “just standing on the sidewalk, staring.”
Hering said that she has not followed the state Supreme Court race or Crawford’s career. But she finds it “obviously concerning to think she could go to another level of hierarchy.”
A Dane County judge since 2018, Crawford is running against former Republican AG Brad Schimel for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Wisconsin Right Now learned about the O’Brien case after filing an open records request with Dane County for all of Crawford’s court cases as a judge. We previously reported that she gave a slap on the wrist to another child molester who attacked two girls in a Middleton swimming pool.
While the O’Brien case was pending, Crawford repeatedly allowed him to move around the state on the $500 signature bond. She later approved his moves from Black Earth to Oshkosh and then Madison.
Crawford refused to revoke O’Brien’s bail even after a jury convicted him, but before he was sentenced, despite a prosecutor’s request that she do so. He was already a felon for past bail-jumping convictions and had a previous criminal history for a weapons offense, auto theft, and other crimes, court records show.
Read the full criminal complaint here:
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Open in new tab Hundreds Signed the Petition to Get Curtis O’Brien Out of Black Earth
More than 800 people signed Hering’s Change.org petition. Black Earth has only 1,448 residents. Yet the case generated almost no news coverage at the time.
“On July 9, 2020 it was brought to the community of Black Earth’s attention that Curtis O’Brien, a 26 year old male was released from the Dane County jail and allowed to live with his father at 1212 Center St, Black Earth,” she wrote. “Bail was set at $500 per case, which was posted and O’Brien was able to be released due to the Covid pandemic. This address is directly across from our 4K-2nd grade elementary school.”
The petition demanded that Crawford relocate O’Brien to “protect our children.”
“As a mother of young girls I am hoping to gain support using this petition to force him to relocate to a area that is not near our schools or parks,” the petition said.
Hering confirmed that O’Brien’s release on bail “became an uproar” in Black Earth. “It did get pretty icky for me. He lived across the street from the grade school. That was insane. He secreted bad vibes and had strange behaviors. I thought, ‘This is not acceptable.'”
Of Crawford’s bond orders, Hering declared herself “surprised, shocked. A little bit disgusted. I couldn’t wrap my head around how that could be an approved place to live.”
Timeline of Curtis O’Brien Case
- O’Brien was criminally charged on 5/2/18.
- O’Brien was initially given $10,000 cash bail on 5/2/18 by Scott McAndrew.
- On 10/1/2018, court records say O’Brien was in custody, but the defense was urging lower bond, and Crawford, the judge, agreed to consider it at a future date. The prosecution objected to $500 bail.
- On 2/26/20, after a lengthy period of issues relating to competency, Crawford found him competent.
- On 6/15/20, after a bond hearing, Crawford agreed to reduce his bail to a $500 signature bond.
- On 8/10/20, Crawford ordered GPS monitoring after an accusation that he violated bail “in regards to a visit with her sister outside where she had her child with her. Speaks to the media and the small town watching him.”
- On 4/7/21, at another bail hearing, Crawford allowed the defendant to relocate to Oshkosh.
- On 7/19/21, Crawford again loosened his bail restrictions. “Effective 7/19/2021 defendant is able to leave residence to pursue work/education or community service, as approved by probation agent in case 15cf2653 and 15CF1400,” the court records note.
- On 12/3/21, Crawford again loosened the restrictions. “Effective 12/03/2021 defendant is able to leave residence to go to Planet Fitness under supervision and to walk dog under supervision,” the records say.
- On 4/25/22, after a violation report, she loosened his conditions again. “Bond modifications: allowed to leave Connie House for walks as long as supervised by staff. Defendant is allowed to meet with Attorney. Defendant is allowed to stay at hotel for trial, 105 Business Park Drive, Sun Prairie. WI with supervision by parent. All other conditions remain.”
- On 7/1/2022, Crawford granted “permission to move. New address will be 2035 Adderbry Lane, Madison, WI 53711.” He was allowed to work out at a Madison Planet Fitness with supervision as well.
- On 7/21/22, he was convicted by a jury, but Crawford refused to revoke his bail before sentencing. “State moves for judgment on the verdict. Asking for bail to be revoked. Court grants motion on judgment on verdict. Atty. Cornia argues to revoking bail. Rebuttal by ADA Rennicke. Court is not revoking bail at this time,” the court records say.
- On 10/14/22, there was another bail hearing. “Defendant must remain at his current residence of 2035 Adderbury Lane Madison WI 53711 unless to attend a medical appointment, court-related function, psychological or mental health evaluations and or to meet with his attorney, which shall be supervised by staff or his parents. Defendant may leave his residence to go for walk in his neighborhood, or to go to Planet Fitness located either at 7475 Mineral Point Road, Madison, WI 53717, or 4538 Verona Rd, Madison, WI 53711 as long as supervised by staff or parents,” Court records note.
- On 10/31/22, he was sentenced.
- On 9/3/24, he was released from prison onto extended supervision.
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