Man Arrested for Child Sex Crimes, After Initially Claiming he was Assaulted by Juvenile

FOND DU LAC RESERVATION – Police say they responded to a call from man in his 60s claiming to have been assaulted by a juvenile; but further investigation into the incident led to child sex crime charges against him.

Fond Du Lac Police arrested 62-year-old Phillip Alexander Petite Tuesday on charges of criminal sexual conduct with a child. The arrest stems from a Dec. 28, 2024 incident, when Petite called police claiming “he had been assaulted by a juvenile male,” according to charging documents.

When police arrived at Petite’s 1588 Ode’imin St residence on the Fond Du Lac Reservation, Petite allegedly told officers he “f-ed up” and had provided alcohol to two boys from his neighborhood that he knew were “underage.” Police also reportedly seized Petite’s phone after they “noticed contemporaneous text messages” from one of the boys.

The two boys were located at one of their homes nearby. The 12-year-old boy, who the reports labeled as the victim, “appeared as though he had been crying and was visibly upset,” according to responding officers.  Police said the boys smelled of alcohol, and preliminary breath tests indicated they had drunk recently.

Investigators first began looking into criminal sexual conduct charges after a forensic interview with the 12-year-old victim on Jan. 7. During the interview, the boy said he and his friend knew Petite from the neighborhood and had gone there together on the night of Dec. 27.

Petite gave the boys alcohol, which he told them was “juice,” according to the victim. When the victim noted the liquid burned his throat, Petite allegedly said, “Maybe its the old kind.” The boys and Petite spent time “drinking alcohol and playing the card game Uno” before the two boys fell asleep on the couch.

The victim told police that he was woken up by the “sensation of (Petite’s) mouth on” his genitals. The boy said he recognized what Petite was doing and began punching him in the face to make him stop. His screaming woke up the other boy, who was also asleep on the couch.

In his interview, the victim said he left Petite’s home to “cool off” after the incident but returned a few minutes later to get his friend. After the boys left, they went to one of their homes at a neighboring residence.

Investigators collected DNA samples from Petite and the victim, along with the clothing the juvenile was wearing during the on Dec. 27 and 28.  The DNA and clothing samples were sent to the Minnesota BCA for testing.

According to the charging documents: