The Casualties of the Culture War
The arrest of the former deputy, Kai Cromer, proves the culture war is absolutely real and not “manufactured.”
Last Tuesday, the announced arrest of former deputy, Kai Cromer, rocked Indian River County and the School District (SDIRC). At a late evening press conference, Sheriff Eric Flowers addressed the public concerning the developing case. On Monday, March 4th, Cromer was newly deputized by Sheriff Flowers around 12:30 PM. As a deputy in training, he was out on his inaugural call with a more experienced officer learning the responsibilities of being an Indian River Sheriff deputy. The first call took the officers to Vero Beach High School (VBHS) where a female student recognized Cromer from an online SnapChat request. Sheriff Flowers shared, ”A brave young female came forward and alerted our staff that this deputy ... had been contacting her via Snapchat, asking her to send photographs, asking her to send naked pictures, topless pictures, and that she felt very uncomfortable seeing him on campus.”
Sheriff Flowers continued to share that his office immediately started an investigation, which led to obtaining a search warrant of his phone that contained over 100 gigabytes of stored data. Among other images, they found a downloaded video of an underage female engaging in sex acts. Cromer was arrested on Tuesday for 1 count of possession of child pornography. Sheriff Flowers included that he was fired in his jail cell. According to the corresponding police report, Cromer obtained the video on February 25, 2024. He posted a $15,000 bond.
Furthermore, the investigation of the solicitations Cromer made is ongoing. Sheriff Flowers continued his statement by adding, "He used his name as his Snapchat handle, Kai Cromer. We know of four victims at this moment, four people that he was contacting. We know that he requested video, photographs. He was telling people, ‘I'm going to be law enforcement. I'm very powerful.’”
Sheriff Flowers stated that because he used the threat of law enforcement with those he contacted, some “felt they had no choice but to do these things” and gave into his demands. Sheriff Flowers also believes there are more victims that Cromer solicited and hopefully, they will come forward. He shared Cromer’s mugshot in hopes of encouraging those who were victims or have information to contact the sheriff’s office. Sheriff Flowers was making his plea for a possible likely reason. Cromer graduated from VBHS in 2022. Sheriff Flowers only mentioned VBHS in relation to the dispatched call as part of his officer training. After the press conference, VBHS posted on X, “We are deeply troubled by the recent arrest of a newly hired IRCSO deputy for soliciting inappropriate photos from underage students at VBHS. This individual was NOT working at VBHS. The safety and well-being of our students are our highest priorities.”
The Sunshine Journal confirmed Cromer graduated from VBHS through the SDIRC YouTube Channel. A post of the May 20, 2022 graduation ceremony shows Cromer receiving his diploma. Based on the information related by the Sheriff, there is a possibility that Cromer may have been engaging in this solicitation and illegal activity as a student. Since graduation, Cromer had become an officer of the law like he promised in his solicitations.
Human trafficking is a very grave concern nationwide. The video of child pornography on Cromer’s phone is a product of the crime. Recently in Martin County, two men were convicted of over 160 counts of child pornography. Their combined sentencing was over 1700 years in prison. One of the convicted felons was a school janitor at the time of arrest.
Furthermore, the solicitations made by Cromer are very similar to the types of distinct methods of recruiting instituted by traffickers in schools across the country. In January, the Indian River County Commissioners unanimously supported the Recognizing Human Trafficking Prevention Proclamation brought forward by volunteers from The Florida Faith Alliance (FFA). The Sunshine Journal reached out to the founding director of FFA, Lynne Barletta for comment. She shared, “‘Sexting’ and ‘Sextortion’ are the fastest growing gateways to trafficking. When pictures or videos are used for money or anything of value is exchanged for those images, it can be a form of trafficking. 90% of boys and 70% of girls younger than 18 years admit to having seen pornography at least once according to the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. Porn addiction produces demand and demand produces supply. It is usually just a matter of time before those addicted approach a child, or pay for a child.”
When the proclamation was being signed by the commissioners, some citizens thought it was for show and these types of crimes “did not effect the average county resident,” in response to The Sunshine Journal article (linked above) on social media. The arrest of Cromer disproves these claims. This case has already revealed the assertions of multiple victims, and the possibility of a larger network, if detectives discover Cromer wasn’t soliciting just for personal reasons.
More importantly, the cultural mores, that claim “Drag Queen Story Hour” is acceptable for children and the pornographic library books featuring animated drawings and descriptions of similar scenarios like the video found on Cromer’s phone should be allowed in schools, increase the pressure on teenagers and younger school children to submit to the idea of sexual abuse and self-gratification as normal. At the public center of this very real cultural war in this county is Moms for Liberty - Indian River Florida and their chairman, Jennifer Pippin. A local columnist, Ray McNulty has often described the work of the “Moms” as “manufactured culture war issues” by “a small-but-vocal fringe group.” When Moms for Liberty successfully challenged the pornographic books in the SDIRC libraries last August, McNulty wrote in his September, 25, 2023 column published by 32963 / Vero News, “this entire issue was as bogus as it was concocted.”
Pippin is not deterred by such criticism. “‘Culture wars’ aren’t that at all. They are valid concerns that parents, grandparents and community members have from experiences or issues that actually are happening in our schools,” she said by text. In regards to the library book issue, Pippin said, ““The controversy with the pornographic and sexually explicit content in schools is bigger than just books. Morals, values and common sense have disappeared in how some adults make choices for children in schools. This disregard of virtue teaches minor children that anything is O.K. There aren’t any boundaries. Whether it be rape, incest, pedophilia, or something else, they found those acts validated in books that were once readily available to them at our schools.”
In 2021, Florida signed into law the Parental Bill of Rights. As a result mental health advocates have been critical as requests for mental health services at SDIRC have nearly tripled in the last 2 years. However, with the parental rights law, those requests dropped at SDIRC. CEO of the Mental Health Association Dr. Philip Cromer PHD., Kai Cromer’s father, spoke to Vero News on August 30, 2023. He stated, “[When] the Parental Rights Bill became law requiring parents immediately be notified if their child asked for help, we had a 50 percent reduction in the number of students we were able to talk to, even though students were saying, ‘I’m in crisis. I need to talk to someone,’ parents said no.”
At the time, Cromer pointed to the workaround in Florida law that allows teenagers of at least 13 years of age to get up to three counseling sessions without parental permission from mental health providers that are not affiliated through the SDIRC. Yet, even the brightest expert in the community, Dr. Cromer, probably had no idea about his own son’s issues. At the press conference, Sheriff Flowers admitted he could not fully vet Cromer’s digital profile because of privacy concerns.
At the heart of Parental Rights law is the parent’s right of responsibility — to be there for their children. State Coordinator of Parental Rights Florida, Patti Sullivan, was instrumental in Florida’s adoption of the Parental Bill of Rights. She commented, “With all that is available now in technology, we must take our parental responsibility seriously when handing phones over to our children. Understanding how unlimited and unmonitored access to screen time can harm a minor’s brain development, along with the overwhelming evidence that predators are waiting for vulnerable children to join these apps and platforms, is critical.”
Sullivan’s most recent advocacy through Parental Rights Florida was for this year’s HB 1, Online Protection for Minors Act, and HB 3, Online Access to Material Harmful to Minors. Lynne Barletta of FFA, whose organization is also in full support of the House bills, points out, “The 12-17 year old demographic is the largest group of internet porn users with 64% percent of 13-24 year-olds viewing it weekly according to the National Center of Exploitation.”
HB 1 and HB 3 were combined and the governor is expected to sign the legislation. Still, even with the oversight of law, parents must stay vigilant. Sullivan remarked, “I recommend that parents utilize available resources regarding screen time that can assist them in creating healthy boundaries within their family. Parents cannot be afraid to actively care for their children’s well-being by monitoring their children’s screens while teaching them good habits regarding technology at the same time.”
At some point in his very young life, Cromer came to believe his behavior had reached a level of cultural acceptance to daringly pursue. It led to addictive behavior and now a criminal charge. Hopefully, these brave young ladies coming forward changes his heart and the course of this culture war inside our schools. More importantly, this event must change relationships between children and their parents from avoidance to proactive responsibility.