SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Concerns about Lamar Willis, 44, a former music teacher charged with multiple sex crimes against children in the Southfield Public School System and later the Detroit Public School System, were brought to Local 4’s attention.
Community members alleged that he is now involved with choirs again, including The Willis C. Patterson Chorale, which Local 4 is told works closely with children.
Local 4 began looking more closely into The Willis Patterson Our Own Thing Chorale (OOTC) and learned that Lamar Willis is listed as the Accompanist and, in other areas, as an Assistant Director and Conductor, reinforcing the concern.
The OOTC also lists that it offers an Instructional Program for youth.
A flyer from 2025 offered “Free music lessons” for children aged 5-18. It also allegedly offers lessons for piano, strings, guitar, winds, and voice.
“The safety of children is our primary concern,” David Williams, Oakland County’s Chief Assistant Prosecutor, told Local 4. “Lamar Willis’ bond conditions prohibit him from having contact with anyone under the age of 18. When our office became aware of his possible involvement with a youth choir, we alerted investigators to his potential bond violation. We intend to work with the court to ensure there are appropriate consequences for any bond violation.”
Background and charges
The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office told Local 4 that Willis is still facing multiple charges, including four counts of second-degree Criminal Sexual Conduct and three counts of Accosting Children for Immoral Purposes, underscoring the seriousness of the case.
Records show Willis is scheduled for a pretrial conference next Thursday, July 23, before Circuit Judge Anderson. The trial date is tentatively scheduled for August 10, keeping the case moving toward trial.
Previous bond conditions barred Willis from having any contact with children or going within 100 feet of any school, emphasizing the restrictions at issue.
The charges stem from encounters that happened on school grounds during the 2022-2023 school year, according to authorities. Police spoke to 15 children throughout the course of the investigation, and those interviews led them to believe that there were five victims, making the allegations more concrete.
A few months after Willis was charged, he officially resigned. Officials don’t believe he has had any contact with the school since his resignation, which narrows the timeline of his involvement.
Willis began working with the Detroit Public Schools Community District in the fall, but he was placed on administrative leave when school officials were notified of pending charges, showing the immediate response.
Police said they first learned about the allegations against Willis from the district, which started the investigation.
Attempts to reach Willis, the choir, his attorney
Records show Willis is the President of Willis Entertainment Group, LLC, and a LARA search shows the address in Detroit. His biography on the OOTC’s website under “Our Own Thing Accompanist” says Willis is “currently the Minister of Music at Derrick Memorial Baptist Church, Music Director for the Legendary Martha Reeves and a member of ‘Notorious,’ a notable Detroit entertainment music ensemble. “
“Lamar Willis was under contract as assistant director and accompanist with the Willis Patterson Our Own Thing Chorale for the 2025/2026 season.
Mr. Willis’ contract term ended June 30, 2026, and he is no longer associated with the Chorale.
The Our Own Thing Chorale is for adult membership only.
The Instructional Program provides music lessons for youth.
It is separate and distinct from the Chorale. Mr. Willis was never associated with the Instructional Program in any way.
Respectfully,
Sharon Vaughters
President, Willis Patterson Our Own Thing Chorale."
Local 4 spoke with Willis’ attorney, Tyron S. Rucker, who still represents him. Rucker said that he was unaware of Willis’ involvement in the choir and thus could not comment on it.
When Local 4 reached out to Willis directly, the phone went to voicemail.
The mailbox was full, so we could not leave a message. After further attempts to reach Willis, he told Local 4 “no comment.”
The allegations against Willis
Prosecutors said multiple former middle school students reported that the teacher used his classroom as a “hangout room,” tried to get hugs from girls, and crossed boundaries in ways that made students uncomfortable.
In a notice filed Dec. 30, 2025, the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office said it intended to introduce evidence under Michigan laws that can allow juries to hear about other alleged acts in cases involving sexual offenses against minors.
The alleged conduct, prosecutors wrote, involved students at MacArthur School (K-8), where Willis worked as a teacher.
It outlined additional allegations investigators said they gathered in police reports and interviews.
‘Hangout room,’ hugs, and alleged ‘cool teacher’ reputation
Multiple students allegedly described Willis as the “cool teacher” and said his classroom was a place students would go during the school day.
One student testified that she attended MacArthur and had Willis as a music teacher for several grades. She said Willis would allow couples to come to the classroom and “make affection” toward each other “kissing, rubbing up on each other, touching each other, things like that.”
On one occasion, the girl testified that Willis touched her butt and said: “Oh, yeah, your butt’s firm, you’re strong.”
She testified that Willis would routinely hug female students, not male students.
The girl also said Willis “grabbed his hand around my back and put his hand, like by my butt cheek.”
Willis also allegedly told students that his private parts were big, referring to his genitals.
Another student testified that students would go to Willis’ classroom to have PDA (public display of affection).
On one occasion, she testified that Willis took her into the storage room that was inside the classroom.
She said Willis took “our hands and pulled us in there.” While in the storage room, she said Willis tried to make them kiss. She testified that Willis “grabbed our heads and pushed them together.”
She also testified that Willis would force hugs on girls and “wrap his hands around my lower waist area.”
She said Willis’ hand “would be on the top of my butt.
This happened more than once.” Willis allegedly tried to put her hands in another child’s pants.
Willis ‘treated girls differently than boys’
Another child testified that they were in the eighth grade at MacArthur, where Willis was a teacher. They also testified that Willis had a reputation as the “cool teacher.”
The student testified that he spent a lot of time in Willis’ classroom and that Willis “treated girls differently than boys.”
“When it came to the girls, he had a natural, it’s like he had a natural instinct to touch them in certain places, as if it was, like, their hips, and then for the boys it would be a hand on a shoulder and then tell them whatever he wanted to tell them.”
On one occasion, Willis allegedly summoned six students to his classroom, and they went into a smaller room where he talked to the group about “sexual actions with females.”
“He listed us a number of pornography websites and listed us some experience stories that has happened with previous classes,” the student testified.
“He was giving us physical instructions of how you should properly make a female feel good and how you need to (explicit) and when you’re doing such activities you must (explicit) so you can (explicit),” the child said.
The student said Willis invited him and a female student to his class, and they had a private ballroom-dancing lesson.
Willis allegedly positioned them so the female student’s buttocks were touching the boy’s crotch area, leaving the boy feeling “very disturbed.”
‘He would grab your behind”
Another student testified that she was an 8th-grader at MacArthur and had Willis as a teacher.
She testified that “if you run into Mr. Willis or see Mr. Willis, or leave being with him, you had to give him a hug.”
She also testified that “couples would go to his classroom” if they just wanted to talk or “do anything.” She said, “They would like to touch on each other or do other things such as sexual intercourse.”
The student further testified that when she gave Willis a hug, “we would give him a hug and he would go under and he would grab your behind.”
The student also testified that Willis would offer private dance lessons.
During one private lesson, she said, Willis “spun me around and then my back half was on his front.”
She said she could feel “his belt and I could feel his private part.” When Willis spun her away, she testified that there was “a spot on his pants,” and she just “looked away.”
She also testified to an occasion where Willis allegedly pulled her into the storage closet with another student.
Another MacArthur student who testified said she used to be close to Willis. She referred to him as the “safe teacher.”
She said he was the teacher with whom you could get away with anything in his classroom.
She said couples would go to his classroom to do “whatever.”
She said Willis would always ask for a hug, but she would tell him that she had to get to class and leave. She testified that she felt “so uncomfortable that she stopped going for a while.”
In one incident, the girl reported feeling very uncomfortable; she said she went into his classroom during free time.
She said Willis came over and started running his fingers through her hair several times. She said she had to get up and walk away.
Willis ‘had a temper’
Another student testified that during “passing hour,” she and her friend approached Willis and asked him about puberty and other issues they were experiencing as they grew up.
She said he was usually approachable in these types of conversations, but this one got uncomfortable.
She said Willis asked if she had a removable shower head at their home.
She didn’t know where he was going with the line of questioning.
She said Willis told her to use the removable shower head to masturbate by placing it on her private area.
Another student testified that Willis was the “cool teacher” before everything happened.
She said everyone would go to his room and talk about their relationships.
She said he always had the curtains closed, and his room was “chill.” The student testified that Willis ‘had a temper’ and said he would frequently lash out at other students when they got on his nerves.
She said she remembered a time he had an adult temper tantrum at a choir show and began stomping his feet in anger in front of everyone. She testified that Willis referred to the students as a “waste of sperm” for horsing around.
Prosecutors said the girl also testified that Willis touched another girl’s butt and that Willis encouraged another female student to go into the closet to perform oral sex on her boyfriend.
The female student allegedly did not want to do it.