Crockett, aka "T.R.A.P.'', is scheduled to perform in the Florida Mixshow Music Summit on Feb. 25-26 at Newport Beachside Hotel/Resort in Miami Beach.
"He's a good-looking kid with star appeal,'' says Florida Mixshow Music promoter John Martinez.
Crockett, 23, was felony-free for five years and 17 days from his stairway to stardom when he stepped into the Fowler Firearms & Gun Range on Tuesday.
He rented a gun and practiced shooting.
Wonder what a felon is doing in a store with 500 guns? You are not alone.
"That is blatant disregard for the law,'' says gun store owner Tony Levene. "We've got cops in here all the time.''
Crockett's presence at the range was risky, but the practice shooter next to him, Fort Myers Police Officer Mary Ellen Hughes, was just plain bad luck.
"I went to shoot and standing next to me was Mr. Crockett,'' she says. "I was extremely surprised.''
They have a history. She remembered him from his felonious juvenile days.
Hughes checked Crockett's felon status and whether his rights were restored. Yes and no.
"I called for backup and we arrested him,'' Hughes says. "He was mad at me. I tried explaining I was just doing my job.''
Leon Battle, Crockett's manager, says when his protege signed a waiver and passed an ID check, he believed he was good to shoot at the gun range.
"T.R.A.P. thought because they were juvenile charges that they wouldn't show up on his record,'' Battle says.
But Levene says he doesn't check backgrounds and doesn't know any gun range that does. A first-time shooter has to be 21.
"He filled out the waiver form, we checked his ID to make sure he was who he said he was and logged him into our system,'' Levene says. "That is his membership card.''
Mentor and promoter worry about his availability for the show. Until Tuesday, Crockett's rehabilitation was going well.
There was much to rehab for the wayward kid.
T.R.A.P. was better known for his rap sheet than his rap lyrics as a frequent juvenile offender.
"At one time, my brother had 14 felonies,'' says Lucreasie Wilson, 20. "He was so arrogant and cocky. He didn't want to listen.''
He was a bad man before he became a man.
Crockett was convicted of carjacking and aggravated fleeing and eluding as a 15-year-old and incarcerated for four years.
"He was a changed man when he got out of prison in 2006,'' Wilson says. "He stuck to his music.''
Battle, owner of Hellbound Entertainment since 1995, took Crockett under his wing and the talented young man thrived.
"We were improving his image,'' Battle says. "We have him out talking to troubled kids. He wears clothes that don't fall off him. For this to happen right now is horrible.''
Battle says if Crockett wins the talent contest, he scores a record deal with Slip n Slide records.
"T.R.A.P. is real good and should make the finals,'' Martinez says. "If he gets a contract, I hope he doesn't have to do any jail time.''
There's the rub.
Officer Hughes says if Crockett is convicted, the minimum-mandatory sentence is three years. His arraignment is Monday.
I asked Fort Myers attorney John Mills, who is not representing Crockett, on what legal ground does the the rapper stand.
"Quicksand, basically,'' Mills says. "If you're a felon, you're not supposed to have a gun. It doesn't matter if you buy it, rent it, borrow it or find it.''
Crockett's sticky situation doesn't look good, but there are extenuating circumstances.
His venture into the gun shop and range was an act of stupidity, not a premeditated crime.
His misstep was colossal, but it shouldn't negate the progress he has made in the past five years.
His ridiculously high bond needs to be reduced to allow for his appearance at the Mixshow.
This case needs a savvy defense lawyer, an understanding prosecutor and a sympathetic judge.
He was irresponsible.
He was unlucky.
But he was felony-free.
He needs a break.
Worst-case scenario:
Rap stars are not strangers to prison. Think of the material T.R.A.P. will have when he gets out.
Good Information.
Everything is valuable in this post.
Slip And Fall Attorney Ft Myers