Firefighter arrested for sexual assault
A longtime volunteer firefighter and coach was arrested last month, and is being charged with sexual assault and multiple counts of first and second-degree sexual abuse of a minor who was under his supervision in 2015 and 2016.
Lovell James “Jim” Prell, 45, of Newcastle, was bound over to the District Court for the Sixth Judicial District on Feb. 3 after he was arrested Jan. 20 on 10 different charges. The charges against Prell range from a misdemeanor charge of furnishing alcohol to a minor to felony first-degree sexual assault, according to court documents. The charges all relate to a single female minor.
Prell is being held on a $75,000 bond, cash or surety, at the Weston County Detention Center. He is being represented by Ron Wirthwein with The Nick Carter Law Firm, of Gillette, according to court documents. The Weston County Sheriff’s Office is conducting the investigation, and Deputy Sheriff Jared Engle prepared the affidavit of probable cause.
The court documents state that between Nov. 1, 2015, and July 26, 2016, Prell engaged in a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old minor over whom he had a position of authority. At the time, Prell was 38 years old.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, at the time, Prell was a captain at the Newcastle Volunteer Fire Department and the female minor was a cadet with the department’s Explorer program. In spring 2016, Prell became a volunteer assistant coach for the track team the victim was participating on at Newcastle High School.
Neither the school district nor the fire department were aware of any impropriety between the defendant and the victim, according to statements to the News Letter Journal from both Fire Chief James Curren and Weston County School District No. 1 Superintendent Brad LaCroix, but both acknowledged that Prell had contact with minors during the period cited in the complaint.
Curren reported to the News Letter Journal in an email that Prell has been put on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. According to Curren, Prell has been a member of the department for 17 years and was the associate adviser to the Explorer program for seven of those years. During that time, 13 young women participated in the Explorer program.
Curren told the News Letter Journal in the same email that the department has safeguards in place to protect Explorers, and that Prell was contacted by department leadership on two separate occasions regarding one-on-one contact with Explorers because the contact was in violation of the program’s rules.
“The Newcastle Volunteer Fire Department and the Boy Scouts of America have a policy that there will be at least two firemen for one explorer or two explorers per one fireman at any given department function,” he said in a written statement to the News Letter Journal. “The safety and wellbeing of our explorers are of the utmost importance to the personnel of the Newcastle Volunteer Fire Department. The Newcastle Volunteer Fire Department has always set the standard for our members to uphold the highest expectations and respect for our youth and community and expect them to continue doing so.”
LaCroix told the News Letter Journal that Prell had volunteered for the school district in various capacities throughout the years, including assisting with both the high school track and wrestling programs. Prell has also served as a chaperone for the annual fifth grade trips to Mallo and was involved in that activity as recently as 2020.
According to LaCroix, the district had never received any complaints of bad behavior regarding Prell, but admitted that he couldn’t guarantee something inappropriate had not happened in relation to his volunteer positions in the district. In a statement issued in response to the News Letter Journal’s questions, the school district indicated that Prell was a “former” volunteer and that the district was cooperating with the investigation.
“Weston County School District #1 has been made aware of the arrest of a former volunteer coach for alleged sex crimes involving an underage victim. The alleged perpetrator was not a paid coach, but he was associated with two Newcastle High School teams for a short time beginning in 2013 as a volunteer. At this point in the investigation, we have not been made aware that any crimes were committed on district property or that any crimes were committed utilizing district resources. We are also not aware of any complaints about his conduct while he served as a volunteer. We will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities investigating this matter. Due to the ongoing nature of that investigation, and to protect the privacy of the victim, Weston County School District #1 will have no further public comment at this time,” LaCroix said in the statement.
The charges against Prell are four counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor, four counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor, one count of sexual assault and one count of furnishing alcohol to a minor.
Each charge of second-degree sexual assault of a minor is a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 20 years, to which a fine of not more than $10,000 may be added. Each charge of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor is a felony punishable by not more than 50 years’ imprisonment, to which a fine of not more than $10,000 may be added.
Each charge of first degree sexual assault of a minor is a felony punishable by imprisonment of no less than five years and no more than 50 years, to which a fine of not more than $10,000 can be added.
Furnishing alcohol to a minor is a misdemeanor and carries a punishment of up to six months in jail, a fine of not more than $750 or both. This charge was not bound over to district court or addressed during the preliminary hearing.
