Cassville resident held on $35K in bonds after incidents 11 days apart
BY KYLE TROUTMAN ktroutman@cassville-democrat.com
A Cassville woman charged with possession of methamphetamine on Nov. 7 was arrested 11 days later for an alleged burglary in the city.
Christina Crawford, born in 1983, of Cassville, is charged in two cases with possession of a controlled substance, misdemeanor unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, first-degree burglary, two counts of stealing a firearm and misdemeanor second-degree property damage.
According to a probable cause statement filed by Officer Codie Evatt, with the Cassville Police Department, at 4:43 p.m. on Nov. 7, he initiated a traffic stop in Cassville where Crawford was a passenger.
After allegedly being given consent to search the vehicle, Evatt located a small, clear baggie and straw with a white, crystal-like substance, as well as a syringe filled with a clear liquid substance, both of which later tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine.
Crawford allegedly took ownership of both substances found, and she was booked and released by Cassville Police.
According to a probable cause statement filed on Nov. 18 by Officer Jeremiah Anderson, with the Cassville Police Department, Crawford allegedly damaged a window to gain entry into a residence and stole a Marlin Model 783 and Remington Arms 12-gauge shotgun from the home.
The firearms exceeded $750 in value.
According to a press release from the Cassville Police Department, the call came to Anderson at 4:58 a.m. to an address in the 500 block of Gravel Street. Anderson located Crawford walking away from the residence with two bags full of items, and he was able to quickly arrest her. A male suspect, the release said, fled prior to Anderson’s arrival.
“Upon investigation, it was discovered the suspects gained access to the residence by breaking out a basement window,” the release said. “They had then climbed into the basement before accessing the rest of the home. Officer Anderson located two rifles lying on the ground outside of the window which had been removed from inside. He also observed numerous items inside of Crawford’s bags which had been stolen from the residence.”
Crawford has failed to appear in previous court hearings dating back to 2002, as well as in 2014, 2015 and 2016, in Grand Junction and Mesa County, Colo.
She has prior felony convictions of robbery and dangerous drugs controlled substance in 2015, and trespassing with intent to commit a crime in 2016, all in Grand Junction, Colo. Anderson also noted Crawford was under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time the report was made.
In the meth possession case, Crawford had an initial appearance on Monday in the courtroom of Judge Robert Foulke. A court date has yet to be set in the burglary case.
The Cassville Police Department encourages all citizens to keep all buildings and vehicles locked when not in use, remove valuables from sight and invest in security/surveillance systems. Motion-activated security lights are a cost-effective deterrent, as well. Regularly inspect building exteriors to ensure they are secured and not able to be accessed by unwanted persons.
