Misty Croslin's trial for drug charges set for Oct./Tommy Croslin gets 15 years in prison (see seperate thread)/Donna Brock sentenced to 15 years /Ron attempting plea deal.Croslin parents arrested for crack/bailed out and now back in for VOP.

[Wrapitup]

By Cindy Swirko
Staff writer

Published: Wednesday, June 2, 2010 at 8:37 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, June 2, 2010 at 8:37 p.m.

Misty Croslin, a key figure in the disappearance of Putnam County child Haleigh Cummings, is scheduled to have a court hearing Thursday on drug trafficking charges.

Croslin, 18, was one of five people arrested earlier this year on narcotics charges, including her brother and Ronald Cummings, the father of the 5-year-old girl who authorities believe is dead.

The hearing in the Putnam County courthouse is set to be an update on the status of Croslin's case. She is being held on the St. Johns County Jail on eight counts of trafficking.

Croslin was the then-girlfriend of Cummings when Haleigh disappeared from their home in February 2009. Authorities say she has given conflicting stories about the disappearance.

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100602/ARTICLES/100609867/1002?tc=ar

It doesn't say what time or if it w/be televised.

[Nama]

Hank Croslin Jr. pleaded no contest Thursday morning to two counts of drug possession and could be called to testify if his sister, Misty, and her ex-husband, Ronald Cummings, go to trial this summer.
The case has drawn a lot of attention because the people involved are connected to Haleigh Cummings, who disappeared from a Putnam County mobile home 15 month ago, even though the charges are in no way connected to her disappearance.
The kindergartner's body has not been found, but the Putnam County Sheriff's Office recently said they believe she was killed and consider the ongoing case a homicide investigation.
Ronald Cummings, the father of missing 6-year-old Haleigh, was among those arrested in January on the drug charges unrelated to his daughter's case.
Investigators said surveillance videos show five undercover drug deals with Cummings.

Ronald Cummings, Misty Cummings and Hank Croslin Jr. all face drug trafficking charges.
The three were arrested in January on drug traffic charges and investigators have released surveillance video showing them involved in undercover drug deals.
Misty Cummings, charged with eight counts of selling prescription drugs, is being held on $1.35 million bond, while Ronald Cummings, charged with five counts of selling prescription drugs, has his bond set at $900,000 bond. Misty's trial date is set for Aug. 23.
The sentencing date for Hank Croslin, who pleaded no contest to two counts of drug possession Thursday, is tentatively set for July 16. He is facing up to 15 years in prison.
If Ronald and Misty Cummings are convicted, they could receive a minimum mandatory sentence of 25 years in prison, although Ronald's attorney has said he expects to reach a plea agreement with prosecutors before his scheduled July trial.
Haleigh Cummings was 5 years old when she disappeared in February 2009. Misty -- Ronald's 16-year-old girlfriend at the time -- was watching Haleigh in Ronald's trailer the night she disappeared. The couple married weeks after the disappearance, then divorced later last year.
Channel 4's Jim Piggott is in Palatka learning more about the guilty plea and its effect on the pending trials of his sister and former-in-law. He'll have a live report on the local station at 5 p.m.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/23779917/detail.html

[Nama]

An Aug. 23 trial date was set Thursday morning for Misty Croslin's seven drug charges in Putnam County.

http://www.ocala.com/article/20100603/ARTICLES/100609898/-1/news?Title=Misty-Croslin-trial-set-for-Aug-23

[Nama]

Also, this morning, Misty Croslin's trial was planned for Aug. 23 and her next pre-trial hearing for Aug. 10.
Aug. 16 is the last day for Croslin to work out a plea agreement.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=156924&catid=3

[trishd54]

Misty Cummings back in court

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. -- The woman at the center of the Haleigh Cummings investigation was back in court today.

Misty Cummings had a pre-trial hearing on drug charges. She was arrested in January for trafficking controlled prescription medications.

Her trial was set for August 23rd. She faces 74 years in prison if convicted.

Ronald Cummings and Hank Croslin, Misty's brother, are also in jail on drug charges. Another woman, Hope Sykes, has already been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

http://www.actionnewsjax.com/content/topstories/story/Misty-Cummings-back-in-court/Y-eI6Fgb_kKChzpDuRDHzg.cspx

[jeanne1807]

Well at least everybody involved is locked up. Haleigh might not get the justice she deserves but that gang of killers will not be drinking beer and eating pizza any time soon. Throw away the key.

Fingers are crossed that they don't give in to Mr. Ronald. That would be a great injustice.

[Wrapitup]

I can't believe they want a plea deal. They are truly slitting their own throats. If Hope got 15 years for her plea deal, can you imagine what those two will get?

As far as Misty having until Aug. to tell it like it is re: HaLeigh, this will be interesting. I would think she would have already told the truth. Why wait till August?

[Wrapitup]

By Kristin Chambers
Published: Friday, June 4, 2010 1:47 AM EDT

Hank "Tommy" Croslin Jr. pleaded no contest to two drug charges in court Thursday morning, just after a trial date was set for his sister, Misty Croslin, for seven counts of drug trafficking.

Croslin Jr., 23, whose family has been the center of the Haleigh Cummings investigation, pleaded to one count of trafficking in hydrocodone and one count of possession. The charges stem from a monthlong undercover narcotics investigation that ended in five arrests last January, including Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, 26, and his cousin, Hope Sykes, 18.

Croslin Jr. could receive up to 30 years in prison for the drug trafficking charge, and a maximum of five years for the possession charge.

When asked by Judge Terry LaRue if there was enough of a fact base to support Croslin Jr.'s plea, his attorney explained that his client had sold 45 hydrocodone pills to undercover officers and had been arrested on a schedule-two controlled substance.

"He wants to go forward and get this behind him," Attorney James Werter said.

While he was questioned by the judge, Croslin Jr. answered he received an education up to the 10th grade and had worked in construction before his arrest.

He will be sentenced in July.

Just moments before her brother entered his plea, Misty Croslin, 18, appeared on seven counts of trafficking in hydrocodone.

She also faces one count of drug trafficking in St. Johns County, which she is scheduled to appear for next Tuesday.

Her trial was set for Aug. 23 in Putnam County.

With her long hair in partial corn rows, she spoke softly to the judge as she signed paperwork.

She was quiet as she was led out of the full courtroom, taking a moment to peek over her shoulder at her family.

The last chance for Croslin negotiate a plea with the state is Aug. 16.

Croslin was the last person to see Haleigh Cummings before the 5-year-old vanished on Feb. 10, 2009. She later married and divorced Ronald Cummings, and has been named by investigators as a possible key to solving the child's disappearance.

Croslin and Cum-mings were recorded by hidden camera selling the drugs to undercover investigators before their arrest Jan. 20.

Cummings is scheduled to appear in court in Putnam County on July 19 for five counts of trafficking in hydrocodone.

http://www.palatkadailynews.com/articles/2010/06/04/news/news01.txt

[Wrapitup]

Posted on June 3rd, 2010
by Jan Barrett

The woman that is the last one to have seen missing Haleigh Cummings from Palatka Florida was in court today for seven drug trafficking charges she has against her. Misty is scheduled to appear in court next week in St. John’s County to face an eight trafficking count there.

Misty Croslin was arrested in January along with her ex-husband, (Haleigh’s father) Ron Cummings, her brother, Tommy Croslin, Hope Sykes and Donna Brock after an undercover operation.

In court this morning, Misty appeared with her hair braided tightly to the top of her head. The judge set a trial date for Misty in August. She was told her trial date would be August 23 but she will only have until August 16 to make a plea.

Tommy Croslin stood before the judge this morning and entered a no-contest plea to his drug trafficking and possession of hydrocodone charges and it is said that he will be sentenced sometime after July 6. Croslin admitted to the judge that he only had a 10th grade education and the last job he had had was about a year ago.

Tommy’s charges have a minimum sentencing of three years behind bars but a judge could change that to 44 months. The sentence could go as high as 30 years.

Tommy Croslin’s attorney, James Werter stated that his client has told the police everything he knows about the Haleigh Cummings case but apparently the State Attorney’s Office seems to be looking for more information. Werter says about his client, “He wants to get this behind him and move on.” Werter says that once he and Croslin went over the facts in the drug case they decided that the no-contest plea was the best way to go.

Hank and Lisa Croslin, Tommy and Misty’s parents were both in court today for both hearings. It was the first time in months that Lisa got to see her daughter. She told reporters that, “Misty is getting fat and Tommy was losing weight.”

The Croslin’s were not informed of their son’s plans on changing his plea to no-contest today but Hank Sr. says he will support his son either way. To me that is how true parents that love their kids should react. I would have no respect for anyone that could turn their backs on their own children when they do something wrong. Even when we know our children are guilty of something we still should be there for them. We should stand by them and help them learn from the mistakes they made, not keep insisting they are innocent and fighting the world while doing so.

Hank and Lisa have their own problems I know, but at the same time these two parents are going through hell as well worrying about their kids. Some say they should have thought about this before when they were raising their kids but if we were all to be honest do we ever think that far in advance when raising our children. I am sure they want the best for their kids as well but just made bad choices in raising them. I have seen parents give their children the best of life only to have them turn out as murderers or drug users that are in and out of trouble all the time. I have also seen parents that could care less about their children and have them turn out to become college graduates. So one can’t always blame how a child turns out on how they were raised. I know everyone doesn’t agree with me but I am only saying what I know as to be facts of life.

My heart goes out to this family. None of this is bringing us any closer to finding Haleigh though. Why has it come to having to destroy so many lives while trying to find her? Why won’t the person responsible come forth and admit what happened to Haleigh? We all sit and wait for that to happen. We pray that an answer will come out soon. As for myself, I still can’t give up on the feeling that this precious child is still alive but I am still holding back on my personal theories about what COULD HAVE happened that night. Hopefully soon we will see who has the correct theory if any of us do. It doesn’t matter who is right or who is wrong though. All that matters is that Haleigh is found either way. Until then God bless this little girl where ever she is.

Jan Barrett

http://www.bloggernews.net/124653

[Wrapitup]

POSTED: Thursday, June 3, 2010
UPDATED: 9:32 pm EDT June 3, 2010

PALATKA, Fla. -- Hank Croslin Jr. pleaded no contest Thursday morning to two counts of drug possession and trafficking. His sister, Misty, and her ex-husband, Ronald Cummings, have trials scheduled for later this summer.

The case has drawn a lot of attention because the people involved are connected to Haleigh Cummings, who disappeared from her Putnam County mobile home 15 month ago, even though the charges are in no way connected to her disappearance.

The kindergartner's body has not been found, but the Putnam County Sheriff's Office recently said they believe she was killed and consider the ongoing case a homicide investigation.

Ronald Cummings, the father of missing 6-year-old Haleigh, was among those arrested in January on the drug charges unrelated to his daughter's case.

Video: Hank Croslin Jr. Pleads No Contest
http://www.news4jax.com/video/23787416/index.html

Investigators said surveillance videos show five undercover drug deals with Cummings.

Ronald Cummings, Misty Cummings and Hank Croslin were booked into jail Wednesday night on drug trafficking charges.
Ronald Cummings, Misty Cummings and Hank Croslin Jr. all face drug trafficking charges.
The three were arrested in January on drug traffic charges and investigators have released surveillance video showing them involved in undercover drug deals.

Misty Cummings, charged with eight counts of selling prescription drugs, is being held on $1.35 million bond, while Ronald Cummings, charged with five counts of selling prescription drugs, has his bond set at $900,000 bond. Misty's trial date is set for Aug. 23.

The sentencing date for Hank Croslin, who pleaded no contest to two counts of drug possession Thursday, is tentatively set for July 16. He is facing between three and 30 years in prison.

If Ronald and Misty Cummings are convicted, they could receive a minimum mandatory sentence of 25 years in prison, although Ronald's attorney has said he expects to reach a plea agreement with prosecutors before his scheduled July trial.

Hank Croslin Sr. said he told his son, Hank Croslin Jr., and daughter, Misty Cummigns, before they saw the judge Thursday to "hang in there and keep praying to their God."

He told Channel 4 he knows his children have used drugs, but he said they are not dealers.

"I think the drug charges pretty much was a set up," Croslin Sr. said. "Misty or (Hank) wasn't drug traffickers. They just was middlemen runners. (Police) have not got none of the drug dealers out there. They just went after Misty and (Hank). It was nothing about the drugs. It was about Haleigh."

Croslin Sr. said he hopes some good will come out of all of this. He said he knows his family is still being questioned about Haleigh and her whereabouts.

"We got to find out what happened to Haleigh," Croslin Sr. said. "We need to know. The parents need to know. We need closure for Haleigh, but I don't think the system needs to entrap anybody."

Haleigh Cummings was 5 years old when she disappeared in February 2009. Misty -- Ronald's 16-year-old girlfriend at the time -- was watching Haleigh in Ronald's trailer the night she disappeared. The couple married weeks after the disappearance, then divorced later last year.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/23779917/detail.html

[Wrapitup]

Misty Croslin trial set for Aug. 23

By Cindy Swirko
Staff writer

Published: Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 10:49 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 5:30 p.m.

PALATKA - An Aug. 23 trial date was set Thursday morning for Misty Croslin's seven drug charges in Putnam County.

Croslin - who was baby-sitting 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings at their Satsuma home when the girl was reported missing in February 2009 - is accused of trafficking in prescription drugs. The 18-year-old woman was arrested in January following an undercover operation that resulted in five arrests.

She is charged also with drug trafficking in St. Johns County.

Croslin's brother Hank "Tommy" Croslin Jr., 23, was in court as well in Palatka Thursday morning. He entered no-contest pleas to charges of trafficking in hydrocodone and possession of hydrocodone. Circuit Judge Terry LaRue ordered a pre-sentencing investigation.

On the trafficking charge, Tommy Croslin faces a minimum sentence of 44 months in prison.

"He wants to get this behind him and move on," Tommy Croslin's lawyer James Werter said in court. Afterward, the lawyer said his client has told police everything he knows about the disappearance - and the presumed death - of Haleigh Cummings. Werter added that the State Attorney's Office seems to be looking for more information.

Werter said they looked at the facts in the drug case and decided on the no-contest plea.

The Croslins' parents - Lisa and Hank Sr. - attended the hearings Thursday morning. Lisa Croslin said her heart jumped when she saw her daughter. It was the first time in months she had seen her.

"Misty is getting fat and Tommy is losing weight," she said.

Hank Croslin Sr. said he and his wife did not know their son was going to change his plea to no contest on Thursday. But, he said, they support him.

http://www.ocala.com/article/20100603/ARTICLES/100609898/-1/news?Title=Misty-Croslin-trial-set-for-Aug-23

[Wrapitup]

Posted: June 3, 2010 - 10:28am

By Dana Treen

PALATKA — Misty Croslin, a central figure in the case of missing Haleigh Cummings, was told Thursday in Putnam County court that she has until mid-August to make a deal with prosecutors in seven drug-trafficking cases that could send her to prison for decades.

Croslin, who called authorities the night the 5-year-old went missing, appeared before Judge Terry LaRue ahead of her brother. Hank “Tommy” Croslin Jr., 23, pleaded no contest to trafficking and possession and will be sentenced this summer.

After four months in jail, the siblings are now closer to prison terms that are governed by minimum-mandatory sentences.

See more photos from the Croslins' court appearance
http://photos.jacksonville.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=1017251&CategoryID=9088&ListSubAlbums=0

While the drug cases are not connected to Haleigh’s disappearance, investigators have said they would take advantage of the drug arrests to ask about the high-profile mystery.

One of the few ways for judges to deviate from minimum-mandatory sentences is when a defendant gives substantial assistance in another case.

The seven trafficking prescription drug charges faced by Misty Croslin, 18, come with minimum sentences of as much as 25 years, depending on the amount of drugs sold, if she is found guilty. She also faces an eighth trafficking charge in St. Johns County.

Thursday, the judge set a trial for Aug. 23 on the Putnam cases. Croslin has a “last chance plea date” of Aug. 16 to work out an agreement with prosecutors, LaRue said.

In a dark blue jail jumpsuit and with her hair braided tightly to her head, she spoke softly to the judge and signed notices for each of the seven counts. Her parents sat in the courtroom and later said it was upsetting to see the two brought into court.

“I about went into a panic attack,” their father, Hank Croslin Sr., said.

He said he doesn’t think Misty deserved all that.

Her attorney, Robert Fields, said recently that a plea deal was not being considered.

“We’re not in the business of giving up,” he said.

Fields has said Misty Croslin has been cooperating with detectives about Haleigh and said it is reasonable to believe pressure to resolve that case will affect the drug outcomes. The Satsuma kindergartner disappeared while in the care of Croslin, who was dating Haleigh’s father, Ronald Cummings.

Minimum-mandatory sen-tences give prosecutors significant clout, said Deborah Fleischaker of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, a national organization working to repeal the measures.

Selling pills with a total weight of half a Hershey bar is enough to mandate a 25-year sentence, Fleischaker said.

“It shifts the balance of power away from the courts to the prosecutor,” she said.

Prosecutors not only have discretion in picking charges but also are able to set the terms of the sentence, she said.

“The minimum-mandatory brings an enormous amount of pressure to bear on the defendant because they have huge sentences looming,” Fleischaker said.

Information in one case can be used in a sentencing deal in another, she said.

Along with the Croslins, others arrested in the undercover operation include Cummings, his cousin Hope Sykes, 19, who has already been sentenced to 15 years in prison, and Croslin’s friend Donna Brock, who was involved in the search for Haleigh after she disappeared in February 2009. ???? Color me confused. Did Donna Brock also get 15 years??

At Cummings’ most recent court appearance, his attorney said they are negotiating for a 15-year sentence.

Evidence in all the cases include dashboard recordings in an undercover detective’s car that provide audio and visual images of drug transactions involving hydrocodone pills.

Croslin’s brother was charged with possession of hydrocodone in November when he was found passed out in a van. He was later arrested in the undercover operation with the others.

He pleaded no contest to those charges Thursday and under sentencing guidelines faces a minimum of three years in prison. The judge could up that to 44 months or sentence him to a maximum of 30 years. By July 6, a date will be set for a sentencing hearing.

James Werter, the attorney for Croslin Jr., said his client has not agreed to testify for the state when his sister goes to trial.

“There’s no deals on the table,” he said.

Werter said prosecutors have been using the possibility of maximum sentences to shake those involved in the case.

“They just want to hang everybody and blast everybody,” he said.

The State Attorney’s Office would not comment directly on the cases, but prosecutors do use sentencing guidelines, State Attorney R.J. Larizza said in a statement from his office.

“Minimum mandatory sentences are the law and my office will enforce those laws as necessary to protect the citizens from dangerous, violent and career criminals,” the statement said.

http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2010-06-03/story/hank-croslin-jr-player-missing-haleigh-cummings-case-pleads-no-contest

[Nama]

I just merged three threads about Misty's trial date being set and Tommy's plea and July sentencing. Discussions about both topics were going on all threads. Now there is ONLY one thread.

[Nama]

by Wrapitup Today at 4:18 pm Along with the Croslins, others arrested in the undercover operation include Cummings, his cousin Hope Sykes, 19, who has already been sentenced to 15 years in prison, and Croslin’s friend Donna Brock, who was involved in the search for Haleigh after she disappeared in February 2009. ???? Color me confused. Did Donna Brock also get 15 years??

Read it s l o w e r.
It just meant that others arrested in the undercover operation include Hope, who has been sentenced AND Donna Brock.
It didn't say Donna had been sentenced.

[Wrapitup]

I don't like the way they wrote it. They should have discussed Hope at the last and said so far, she is the only one that has been sentenced, but I DO very much for merging these threads.

With all these players and articles, it is easier to lump it all in one thread. I think unless and until HaLeigh is found or someone is arrested, the way you merged them makes sense. :thanks:

[Wrapitup]

By Cindy Swirko
Staff writer

Published: Tuesday, June 8, 2010 at 2:17 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, June 8, 2010 at 2:17 p.m.

ST. AUGUSTINE - A judge in St. Johns County scheduled Misty Croslin's trial on a drug trafficking charge for Aug. 23 - the same date as her drug trial in Putnam County.

Croslin, 18, the woman who was baby-sitting 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings at their Satsuma home in February 2009 when the girl was reported missing, faces seven counts in Putnam County. Those charges, like the charge in St. Johns County, resulted from an undercover operation.

The Patatka trial date was set there on Thursday, June 3.

During the hearing Tuesday in St. Augustine, neither defense attorney Robert Fields nor the prosecutor mentioned the apparent scheduling conflict to Circuit Judge Wendy Berger.

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100608/ARTICLES/100609483/1002

That's it - end of article. They just keep f'ing up this case. At the rate it's going, I wouldn't be surprised if she walked "home" free.

[Wrapitup]

Haleigh Cummings Update: Misty Croslin Back in Court Today
Posted on June 8th, 2010
by Jan Barrett

The last known person to see little Haleigh Cummings, who is the Florida girl that has been missing since February 10, 2009, was the then babysitter, 17 year old Misty Croslin. Police claim she is not actually considered as a suspect but they definitely think she holds the key to the puzzle they need to solve this crime.

Misty along with her now ex-husband, Ronald Cummings, Misty’s brother, Tommy Croslin, Ronald’s 18 year old cousin, Hope Sykes and Donna Brock were all arrested during an undercover drug bust in Florida in January. Misty is being charged with 8 counts of drug trafficking in Putnam County and St. John’s County.

Hope Sykes plead a no contest plea and everyone was in total shock when the judge sentenced her to 15 years in prison. Now brother, Tommy Croslin has pled no contest and he will receive his sentence next month sometimes. I am sorry to say but it wouldn’t shock me if Tommy is sentenced a bit more than just the three years he keeps saying he expects to serve.

Misty’s court date was set in Putnam County for August 23, 2010 which coincidentally is the same date that a judge set today for her to appear before a jury trial in St. John’s County as well. Gainesville.com is reporting that neither the defense attorney, Robert Fields not the prosecutor bothered to mention to the judge, Circuit Court Judge Wendy Berger, that the two dates are the same. Fields claims he is waiting on evidence analysis from the Department of Law Enforcement and said he does expect to later ask for a change in the trial date in St. John’s County.

Hank Croslin Sr. is standing by his daughter saying she is not guilty of these charges despite the released surveillance video where she is clearly seen making the deal along with Ronald, Tommy, Hope and Donna Brock.

Hank says all this is because of the Haleigh Cummings investigation. He claims the police are just trying to get more information from Misty about what could have possibly happened to Haleigh when she disappeared that night.

Although I do agree that that is probably why the drug deal came out, I think it will be hard to argue that she is innocent in what she is currently being charged for. It has to be really hard for Hank Sr. to accept this though. I know if it were my two kids involved in this I would have lost my mind by now.

I do hope that all of this has been done for nothing though. I pray that after all these months being behind bars for the drug charges that one of those arrested will finally open up and for once in their life tell the truth here.

I don’t know who is guilty here but I still stick with my theory that NO ONE should be cleared in this until the guilty party is found. No one should be eliminated until we get the truth. I know everyone doesn’t agree with me but I seriously think this. In my eyes no one has been cleared completely yet. I don’t think anyone involved in this case should be able to sit back and relax about not being investigated. I think they all should be drilled over and over again with questions.

Let’s pray we will have an answer soon. I worry sometimes that no one will ever open up about what happened to Haleigh and her case will go unsolved and then the person responsible will go unpunished. Haleigh would never receive the justice she rightfully deserves if that happens and that is so unfair to this adorable little girl. If this happens I do hope the one responsible is cursed with bad luck for the rest of their life. I hope they will be haunted by the memory of what they have done every day that they live. I hope when they wake up in the mornings that Haleigh’s face is the first thing they think about and the last thing they think about when they go to sleep at night. I hope they will suffer from losing their own sanity after what they have done to this child.

God be with you Haleigh Cummings. They say you are no longer with us on this earth but I still can’t let go of that gut feeling that you are still alive out there somewhere. No one knows for sure if you are or not though. If they say it as a fact then that someone must know more about what happened than they are saying and they should speak up about what they know. I do pray that someone will one day soon.

Jan Barrett

http://www.bloggernews.net/124684

[Wrapitup]

Croslin gets August trial date
Media circus surrounds brief appearance in court
Posted: June 9, 2010 - 12:07am

By RICHARD PRIOR

Elbow room was at a premium in the St. Johns County Circuit courtroom Tuesday as extra reporters and television crews jockeyed for the little space available to get a clear look at just one of the 51 defendants listed on the afternoon docket.

But it all turned out to be a brief, routine hearing for Misty Janette Croslin, who is now tentatively scheduled to go to trial in August on one count of trafficking in prescription medications -- oxycodone and hydrocodone.

She faces 25 years in prison if she pleads to the offense or is found guilty at trial.

Croslin faces an additional seven trafficking cases in Palatka.

Circuit Judge Terry LaRue told her Thursday that Aug. 16 is her "last-chance plea date" to work out a deal with prosecutors.

After that, she is open to the potential of minimum mandatory sentences that could total decades in prison.

The 18-year-old Croslin appeared pale and lifeless Tuesday as she sat in front of Circuit Judge Wendy W. Berger's bench, waiting for court to begin. She has gained a little weight, but what color she did have has faded since she and four others were arrested Jan. 20 and charged with trafficking.

She barely acknowledged the bank of video and still cameras lined up off her left shoulder.

She looks as forlorn as she did the day of her arrest. She still has the same thousand-yard stare.

While activity swirls around her, she seldom looks to the side and rarely speaks. Even then, it is usually to defense attorney Robert Fields of Palatka, in a low tone that perhaps even he has trouble hearing.

Fields told Berger Tuesday that the "few" depositions he had taken probably completed the process. He said he is still waiting for some discovery materials from the state.

He also said his client hasn't received any sentencing deals from the prosecution.

Fields also is being cautious about what he says in court or agrees to with the prosecution until the Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirms that the pills seized Jan. 20 were, indeed, oxycodone.

Croslin is still believed by many to hold the key to the February 2009 disappearance of 5-year-old HaLeigh Ann-Marie Cummings, daughter of Ronald Lemyles Cummings.

HaLeigh Cummings disappeared from her father's blue doublewide trailer in the Hermit's Cove area of Putnam County the night of Feb. 9.

Ronald Cummings, was at work in Palatka at the time.

Misty Croslin, Cummings' live-in girlfriend, was babysitting HaLeigh and Ronald Jr., Cummings' son, who turned 4 after his sister's disappearance.

Cummings and Croslin were married March 12, 2009.

A St. Johns County judge finalized their divorce seven months later, on Oct. 15.

Law enforcement officers deny that the trafficking arrests were designed -- or have been used -- as a way to put pressure on the defendants to talk about the little girl's disappearance.

Lt. Johnny Greenwood, a spokesman for the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, said after the arrests that the cases are completely separate.

"It was totally unrelated," he said. "It's really ironic how it happened."

Croslin's family and others have suggested that pressure was precisely why the sting operation was set up.

The others arrested for drug trafficking were Cummings; Croslin's brother, Hank Thomas "Tommy" Croslin Jr.; Cummings' cousin, Hope A. Sykes; and Croslin's friend, Donna Michelle Brock.

Sykes was sentenced April 26 to 15 years in prison.

Tommy Croslin pleaded no contest to trafficking and drug possession on June 3. He is scheduled to be sentenced this summer.

The other cases are still pending.

Please see video here: http://www.actionnewsjax.com/content/topstories/story/Misty-Cummings-in-court/sDdk2L8ydEGEdnNciYHcgA.cspx

She looks like she could not care any less!

http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2010-06-09/croslin-gets-august-trial-date

[Wrapitup]

She is scheduled for sentencing Sept. 1.
Posted: June 15, 2010 - 11:18am

By Dana Treen
A 44-year-old woman with connections to the case of missing Haleigh Cummings has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking in St. Johns County.

Donna M. Brock of Orlando was recorded in an undercover investigator's car with Misty Croslin, who called police when 5-year-old Haleigh disappeared in February 2009.

The two were arrested during a monthlong sting that resulted in the arrest of five people in separate drug buys, including Haleigh's father Ronald Cummings.

Brock and Croslin were charged with trafficking at least 28 grams of oxycodone in a sale involving 155 pills for $800 in January, according to charging documents. Today, Brock pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of trafficking in between 14 to 28 grams of the drug, according to court records.

She is scheduled for sentencing Sept. 1. The reduced charge carries a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years, according to state guidelines.

Brock befriended Croslin during the search of Haleigh, who has still not been found and who investigators with the Putnam County Sheriff's Office have said they believe is dead.

http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2010-06-15/story/guilty-plea-drug-case-woman-ties-haleigh-cummings-case

[Wrapitup]

Posted: June 16, 2010 - 12:03am


Donna Brock appears in front of Circuit Court Judge Wendy Berger at the St. Johns County Courthouse on Tuesday morning. Brock pleaded no contest to dealing between 14 and 28 grams of oxycodone. By DARON DEAN, daron.dean@staugustine.com

By RICHARD PRIOR
A woman who befriended the last person to see HaLeigh Cummings alive in February 2009 is facing at least 15 years in prison after pleading Tuesday to a drug trafficking charge.

Donna Michelle Brock, 44, who was arrested with Misty Croslin in an undercover operation in January, pleaded no contest to dealing between 14 and 28 grams of oxycodone.

The first-degree felony carries a maximum punishment of 30 years in prison. It calls for a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years and a $100,000 fine.

Brock stood unmoved with little change in expression as Assistant State Attorney Jackie Roys explained the terms of the plea offer.

Brock originally had been charged with trafficking in 28 grams to 30 kilograms of oxycodone. The minimum mandatory on that charge is 25 years and a $500,000 fine.

Defense attorney Michael P. Hines said he hoped to give the judge reasons to go below the minimum mandatory at his client's Sept. 1 sentencing.

St. Johns Circuit Judge Wendy W. Berger said she didn't believe she had the authority to do that but would research it.

She said she at least would be willing to consider anything Hines could offer to make sure the sentence stayed near 15 years.

Brock also agreed to testify truthfully against "any co-defendants" if the prosecution asks her.

That means Croslin, her only co-defendant.

Croslin, 18, is tentatively scheduled to go to trial in August on the same charge Brock originally faced -- trafficking in 28 grams to 30 kilograms of oxycodone.

She also faces another seven trafficking charges in Palatka.

Circuit Judge Terry LaRue in Palatka told her on June 3 that Aug. 16 is her "last-chance plea date" to work out a deal with the state on those charges.

Croslin was Ronald Cummings' live-in girlfriend and was babysitting for HaLeigh Cummings and her younger brother when the little girl disappeared from her father's Satsuma mobile home the night of Feb. 9, 2009.

Croslin and Cummings were married March 12, one month after the child disappeared.

They were divorced in October.

Brock has been identified as a former volunteer with Equusearch Mounted Search and Recovery in Dickinson, Texas, just northwest of Galveston. HaLeigh Cummings' family called on the group shortly after the 5-year-old child's disappearance.

Tim Miller, owner of Equusearch, later became openly critical of Croslin, insisting she knew more than she was telling investigators.

Last October, a driver on Interstate 4 called 911 last October and said the driver of a car Croslin was riding in had threatened her with a handgun as they raced down the roadway.

A Seminole County Sheriff's deputy had the car pull off at the Lake Mary exit.

Croslin and Brock were handcuffed and the car searched. They were released when no weapon was found.

Three others were also arrested during the January sting operation: Ronald Cummings; Croslin's brother, Hank Thomas "Tommy" Croslin Jr.; and Cummings' cousin, Hope A. Sykes.

Sykes was sentenced April 26 to 15 years in prison.

Tommy Croslin pleaded no contest to trafficking and drug possession on June 3. He is scheduled to be sentenced this summer.

Ronald Cummings is negotiating for a 15-year sentence on five trafficking charges in exchange for testimony at any future trial.

His ex-wife is now the only defendant left who has not pled.

Law enforcement officers have repeatedly denied that the trafficking arrests were designed as a way to put pressure on the defendants to talk about the little girl's disappearance.

http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2010-06-16/croslin-co-defendant-pleads-drug-charge

[Nama]

Doesn't look good for Misty.

[Wrapitup]

She needs to fess up. If Ron was involved in any way, she better tell it like it is under another poly. If she truly was so f\'d up that she doesn't remember....she needs to tell them that. At the very least, she needs to say where she was and what happened when Joe and Tommy were there. She needs to get brutally honest, if that is possible.

[Wrapitup]

Misty Cummings Quiet In Pretrial Hearing
Ex-Stepmom Of Missing Girl Facing 8 Drug Trafficking Charges

POSTED: Tuesday, June 8, 2010
UPDATED: 8:51 pm EDT June 8, 2010

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. -- Misty Cummings didn't say anything at all Tuesday when she appeared in a St. Johns County courtroom, where she's facing one of eight drug trafficking charges.

The other seven charges are in Putnam County.

Cummings is slated to stand trail in Palatka on all the charges at the end of August. That is, unless she makes a plea deal by the Aug. 16 deadline.

"I think the drug charges pretty much was a set up," Cummings' father, Hank Croslin Sr., told Channel 4 last week. "Misty or (Hank Croslin Jr.) wasn't drug traffickers. They just was middlemen runners. (Police) have not got none of the drug dealers out there. They just went after Misty and (Hank). It was nothing about the drugs. It was about (missing 6-year-old) Haleigh (Cummings)."

Video: Misty Cummings Back In Court (watch here)

http://www.news4jax.com/video/23837549/index.html

Croslin Sr. said his daughter isn't guilty of these charges, even though investigators released undercover surveillance video they said proves Cummings and her ex-husband, Ronald Cummings, and her brother, Croslin Jr., did, in fact, sell drugs.

Croslin Sr. said the case boils down to the Haleigh homicide investigation, and that investigators are just trying to get information out of Misty Cummings about what could've happened to the Satsuma girl who disappeared in February 2009. Investigators said Misty Cummings was the last person to see Haleigh.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/23831637/detail.html

[Wrapitup]

Putnam County Investigators Searched River In April For Missing Girl

POSTED: Monday, June 21, 2010
UPDATED: 11:44 am EDT June 21, 2010
Haleigh Cummings
An Amber Alert was issued Feb. 10, 2009, for 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. -- Putnam County investigators said a human bone that was found in the St. Johns River in April did not belong to Haleigh Cummings.

The bone is that of a long-dead Native American, according to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office. Investigators said the discovery is not that unusual, given the number of Native American burial grounds in Putnam County.

The determination was made by the Forensic Anthropology lab at the University of Florida, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Investigators searched the river for several days in April in connection with the Haleigh case. They said they found two cinder blocks, which were sent to a lab to be tested.

At the time, Sheriff Jeff Hardy said Haleigh, the 5-year-old girl who disappeared from her Satsuma home in February 2009, was likely dead, and the investigation had moved from a missing person case to a homicide investigation.

Misty Cummings, Haleigh's former stepmother and the last person investigators said saw Haleigh the night she vanished, was seen at the river being questioned by investigators during their search.

Investigators said they got a tip that led them to the Shell Harbour Road Boat Ramp, a place they had not searched before. Sources have told Channel 4 the tip came from Hank Croslin Jr., Cummings' brother.

Misty Cummings, Hank Croslin Jr. and Ronald Cummings, Haleigh's father, are all in jail on drug charges unrelated to the Haleigh case.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/23976333/detail.html

[Wrapitup]

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. -- Hank Croslin Jr. has been transferred from St. Johns County Jail to the Putnam County Jail.

Initially, Croslin was placed in St. Johns County jail as a courtesy to keep the co-defendants in the cases separated.

Croslin was arrested, along with 26-year-old Ronald Cummings and 18-year-old Misty Croslin, on charges of trafficking prescription medications more than 11 months after the disappearance of Haleigh Cummings, Ronald's daughter.

Misty Croslin is Hank Croslin's sister and Cumming's ex-wife. Haleigh, 5, at the time of her disappearance in Feb. 2009, vanished sometime after Misty Croslin said she put the girl to bed at the couple's home in Satsuma.

Investigators say a total of seven buys took place, all involving the drugs hydrocodone and oxycodone. Authorities arrested five people in all. Hope Sykes, a cousin of Ronald Cummings, is among them along with Donna Broch of Orlando.

READ THE ARREST REPORTS: REPORT 1 | REPORT 2 | REPORT 3 | REPORT 5 | REPORT 6

Hank Croslin pleaded no contest to trafficking in hydrocodone. He's scheduled to be sentenced on July 6.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/mostpopular/news-article.aspx?storyid=157818&provider=top

[Wrapitup]

Does this mean he will be in General Population with Ron?
:LE: :batting practi

[Wrapitup]

POSTED: 12:53 pm EDT July 1, 2010
UPDATED: 1:23 pm EDT July 1, 2010

PALATKA, Fla. --
An attorney for Hank Croslin Jr. has filed a motion in court on Monday claiming he's been harassed and threatened by authorities.

Croslin is the brother of Misty Croslin, who was babysitting Haleigh Cummings when she disappeared more than one year ago. Both are jailed facing drug charges.

The motion stated he was recently moved from the St. Johns County Jail to the Putnam County Jail, where Croslin was placed in the general population section in a cell with bad plumbing and ventilation. Ron is in GP at that jail, too. LOL.

The motion also claimed detectives from the Putnam County Sheriff's Office have visited Croslin to harass and threaten him. The alleged threats included telling Croslin that detectives would give other prisoners false information about him that could lead to "physical harm."

Read Motion
http://www.wesh.com/download/2010/0701/24110635.pdf

The motion also stated detectives said Croslin would be charged with the slaying of Haleigh if he doesn't talk. The motion also stated a Sheriff's Office captain berated Croslin and accused him of murder in front of other people.

Croslin's attorney said his client's civil rights were violated and stated he wants to move his client back to jail in St. Johns County.

A judge will hear the motion on July 16.

http://www.wesh.com/news/24110371/detail.html

Also, here is a video about the items found in the St. John' River which is new.
http://www.wesh.com/video/23210351/index.html

[Wrapitup]

Croslin's Attorney: Stop Strong-Arming
Motion Orders Investigators To Stop Talking To Hank Croslin Jr. Without Permission
POSTED: Thursday, July 1, 2010
UPDATED: 4:33 pm EDT July 1, 2010

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. -- Whether it's strong-arm tactics or leaning on a suspect, whatever you call it, Hank Croslin Jr. said it's happening to him and he wants it to stop.

Croslin's defense attorney, James Werner, filed a motion this week ordering investigators to stop talking to his client without his permission.

Croslin said that investigators have been threatening him so he would cooperate in the Haleigh Cummings investigation. According to the motion, there were threats that Croslin did not need an attorney and that his attorney was ratting him out and was going to testify against him in court.

"I don't know what they were thinking when they did this," Werner said.

Croslin said that an investigator threatened to charge him with Haleigh's murder if he did not speak with him, according to the motion, and that the investigators would give false information to the other prisoners to cause Croslin physical harm.

Werner said the pressure to solve the Haleigh case may be forcing investigators to take unethical tactics.
"You can put blames there, but professional law enforcement is professional law enforcement," Werner said. "I'm former law enforcement, and I believe in a certain amount of professionalism."

The Putnam County Sheriff's Office responded to the allegations Thursday, saying while there was no official internal investigation, they did look into the matter.
"I'm not calling it frivolous. I'm just saying we are not going to respond to it at this point," Chief Rick Ryan said.

Ryan did not address the specific allegations but said his investigators did not do anything improper.
"Croslin is in jail on drug charges facing sentencing," Ryan said. "Our folks talked to him about another pending investigation, totally separate. Again, we're just not going to respond to the allegations."

Croslin's sister is Misty Cummings, 5-year-old Haleigh's former stepmother, who investigators said was the last person to see the Satsuma girl the night she vanished from her home in February 2009.

Croslin, Cummings and Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, are all in jail on drug charges.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/24112773/detail.html

[Wrapitup]

Haleigh Cummings Update: Is Tommy Croslin Being Mistreated in Jail?

Posted on July 1st, 2010 by Jan Barrett

It didn’t take Tommy Croslin long to start complaining after he was put back in Putnam County Jail in Florida. Tommy is presently behind bars facing drug charges along with his sister Misty Croslin and Ronald Cummings. Hope Sykes and Donna Brock were also arrested.

Ronald Cumming is the father of Haleigh Cummings that disappeared over a year ago. Misty Croslin was babysitting and she was the last person to see Haleigh.

Tommy’s attorney, James Werter, has filed a motion for Tommy on Monday claiming that Tommy has been harassed and threatened by authorities.

One of the complaints is that when he was moved back to Putnam County from the St. John’s County Jail, he was put into general population section in a cell with bad plumbing and ventilation.

Croslin complained that Putnam County Sheriff’s Office detectives have visited him just to harass him and threaten him saying they will tell the other prisoners false information about him that that apparently lead to some physical harm to Tommy.

Tommy also says that the detectives told him that he would be charged with the slaying of Haleigh Cummings if he doesn’t talk and that they will accuse him of being a murderer in front of other people. He was denied access to the telephone to speak with his attorney by the same detectives who had harassed and threatened him.

The motion also claims that Tommy was forced out of his cell by Captain Piscitello, Detectives Jon Merchant and Peggy Cone despite objections to any interview without benefit of his attorney. They told Tommy that he didn’t need an attorney and that the attorney of record and his private investigator were ratting him out and were going to testify against him in court.

James Werter is claiming that his client’s civil rights have been violated and he wants the detectives that are responsible for doing this to be held in contempt. This is the reason he wants to have his client transferred back to St. John’s County Jail. There has been a hearing set for this motion on July 16th.

At a pretrial hearing where Tommy faced the judge on the drug charges he pleaded no contest. Tommy is being charged with one count of possession, a third degree felony, and one count of trafficking in hydrocodone which is a first degree felony.

You can go here and read the motion that was filed on Monday courtesy of wesh.com.

The question here is, is any of this true? Has Tommy really been harassed and threatened as he claims he was. If he was these detectives have some answering to do.

I have been hearing what everyone is saying. You want to know what this has to do with finding Haleigh. I say it does in a certain way but then again it depends on who you think is guilty. If Tommy knows anything about Haleigh’s disappearance I am assuming that the detectives are trying to make him talk. Now if Tommy knows nothing then none of this has anything to do with finding Haleigh, but at least it will either take more drug sellers off the streets.

We all need to stick together on this. There is no need to fight over an opinion just because you don’t agree. Also name calling no matter how small it may be is NOT allowed in here.

Be sure to say your prayers for Haleigh. Ask God to bring this precious child home either way. It is way over time for this case to be solved. God bless all of you!

Jan Barrett

http://www.bloggernews.net/124829

[Wrapitup]

Just an FYI:

Tommy Croslin w/be in court on the drug charges on Tues, 7/6/10 for sentencing!

542009CF002113XXAXMX for Tommy still shows 7/6 with no additions.

UCN: 542009CF002113XXAXMX
File Date: 11/06/2009
Judge: TERRY J LARUE
Case Status: SENTENCING
Defense Atty: WERTER, JAMES S
Case File Location: CRIMINAL DIVISION

Defendant: CROSLIN, HANK T JR
Alias: No Alias Records

Date # Docket Description
11/06/2009 1 ARREST REPORT - PCSO D/S ALITZER (ARREST 11/5/09)
11/06/2009 1 BOOKING NUMBER: 09-4578
11/06/2009 1 POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE
11/06/2009 1 POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA
11/06/2009 2 DEFENDANT PRESENT FOR FIRST APPEARANCE HRG 11/6/09
11/06/2009 2 ADJ INS P D APPOINTED AT FIRST APPEARANCE HEARING
11/06/2009 2 SUFFICIENT PROBABLE CAUSE FOUND
11/06/2009 2 $1004.00 SECURED BOND SET CT. I
11/06/2009 2 $ 504.00 SECURED BOND SET CT. II
11/06/2009 3 AFFIDAVIT FOR CRIMINAL INDIGENT STATUS
11/06/2009 4 ORDER APPOINTING PUBLIC DEFENDER AT FIRST APP HEARING
11/09/2009 5 $1004.00 (A-1-24 HR CITY BEST) #2229313
11/09/2009 6 $504.00 (A-1-24 HR CITY BEST) #2229314
11/09/2009 6 AMERICAN BANKERS INSURANCE COMPANY OF FLORIDA
01/28/2010 7 INFORMATION (POSSESSION OF SCHEDULE II SUBSTANCE)
01/28/2010 8 ANNOUNCEMENT OF NO INFORMATION TO (POSSESSION OF
01/28/2010 8 PARAPHERNALIA ONLY)
01/28/2010 9 NOTICE TO DEFENDANT (03/02/2010) IN JAIL
01/28/2010 10 NOTICE TO BONDSMAN (03/02/2010)
02/03/2010 11 MOTION TO TRANSFER TO DIVISION 52
02/03/2010 12 ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO TRANSFER TO DIV 52
02/03/2010 12 ARR TO BE RESET
02/09/2010 13 NOTICE OF APPEARANCE AND APPLICATION TO THE CLERK FOR
02/09/2010 13 A COPY OF THE INDICTMENT OR INFORMATION AND THE
02/09/2010 13 ENDORSEMENTS THERE ON FILED BY:JAMES WERTER (FAX)
02/09/2010 14 NOTICE OF INTENT TO PARTICIPATE IN DISCOVERY (FAX)
02/10/2010 15 NOTICE OF APPEARANCE AND APPLICATION TO THE CLERK
02/10/2010 15 FOR COPY OF THE INDICTMENT OR INFORMATION AND THE
02/10/2010 15 ENDORSEMENTS THEREON FILED BY: JAMES WERTER (ORIGINAL)
02/10/2010 16 NOTICE OF INTENT TO PARTICIPATE IN DISCOVERY(ORIGINAL)
02/16/2010 17 NOTICE OF APPEARANCE AND PLEA OF NOT GUILTY AND
02/16/2010 17 APPLICATION TO THE CLERK FOR A COPY OF THE INDICTMENT
02/16/2010 17 OR INFORMATION AND THE ENDORSEMENTS THEREON
02/16/2010 17 FILED BY: JAMES S WERTER (FAX)
02/18/2010 18 NOTICE OF APPEARANCE AND PLEA OF NOT GUILTY AND
02/18/2010 18 APPLICATION TO THE CLERK FOR A COPY OF THE INDICTMENT
02/18/2010 18 OR INFORMATION AND THE ENDORSEMENTS THEREON
02/18/2010 18 FILED BY: JAMES S WERTER (ORIGINAL)
02/22/2010 19 NOTICE TO BONDSMAN (03-31-2010)
02/22/2010 20 NOTICE TO ATTORNEY (03-31-2010)
03/31/2010 21 PRE TRIAL MINUTES: DEFT PRES, ATT BY
03/31/2010 21 ON MOTION OF DEFENSE COUNSEL, COURT ORDERED CASE
03/31/2010 21 CONTINUED TO 05/13/2010
04/06/2010 22 NOTICE TO BONDSMAN (05/13/2010)
04/06/2010 23 NOTICE TO ATTORNEY (05/13/2010)
04/29/2010 24 MOTION FOR ORDER COMPELLING DISCOVERY
05/06/2010 25 STATE’S DISCOVERY EXHIBIT
05/06/2010 26 WITNESS LIST
05/06/2010 27 DEMAND FOR RECIPROCAL DISCLOSURE
05/13/2010 28 PRE TRIAL MINUTES: DEFT PRES, ATT BY JAMES WERTER
05/13/2010 28 ON MOTION OF DEFENSE COUNSEL, COURT ORDERED CASE
05/13/2010 28 CONTINUED TO 06/03/2010
05/17/2010 29 NOTICE TO ATTORNEY (06/03/2010)
05/17/2010 30 NOTICE TO BONDSMAN (06/03/2010)
06/03/2010 31 PRE TRIAL MINUTES: DEFT PRES, ATT BY JAMES WERTER
06/03/2010 31 W/D FORMER PLEA, PLEAD NOLO A/C TO POSSESSION OF
06/03/2010 31 SCHEDULE II SUBSTANCE
06/03/2010 31 ADVISED OF MAX PENALTY 5 YRS DOC &/OR $5000 FINE
06/03/2010 31 PLEA ACCEPTED, PSI ORDERED, SENTENCING SET 07/06/2010
06/03/2010 32 REQUEST FOR PSI
06/03/2010 35 SUPPLEMENTAL DISCOVERY / WITNESS LIST
06/08/2010 33 NOTICE TO ATTORNEY (07-06-2010)
06/08/2010 34 NOTICE TO BONDSMAN (07-06-2010)

[Wrapitup]

Tommy Croslin pleaded no contest to a drug trafficking charge and an unrelated drug possession case several weeks ago. He is scheduled to be sentenced in those cases on July 6. This will be very interesting to see what he gets.

In a statement issued Thursday morning, Putnam County Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Johny Greenwood said that although the crimes committed by Croslin took place in Putnam County, "Croslin was originally housed at the St. Johns County Jail as a courtesy from Sheriff David Shoar in order to help keep the co-defendants in the cases separated. Sheriff (Jeff) Hardy determined that it is appropriate at this time to return Croslin to the Putnam County Jail to await his sentencing."

snipped from: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100624/ARTICLES/100629727/1002

[lisette]

Any news on Tommy's sentencing? I haven't been able to find anything.

[lisette]

Just found this...Doesn't look like the sentencing is today.

An attorney for Hank “Tommy” Croslin Jr. has asked a judge to prohibit any investigators from interviewing him without notifying his attorney.

Croslin is the brother of Misty Croslin, who was watching 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings before her disappearance in February 2009 in Satsuma. Both Croslins and Haleigh’s father, Ronald Cummings, are in jail awaiting sentencing on prescription drug charges.

In court documents filed Thursday, James Werter said Croslin Jr., 23, was interrogated by Putnam County investigators and denied an attorney after being transferred to the Putnam County jail last week. The motion also asks a judge to order investigators into court to say why they shouldn’t be held in contempt for civil rights violations.

Maj. Gary Bowling of the Sheriff’s Office said he couldn’t comment because of the pending court matter.

Werter declined commenting beyond the court filings.

According to the motion, Croslin was told “that he did not need an attorney and that the attorney of record and his private investigator were 'rat-ing’ [sic] him out.” The court documents also said officers berated Croslin in front of civilians, accused him of murdering Haleigh and threatened to spread false information to other prisoners to cause him physical harm.

He was being held in protective custody in the St. Johns County jail until last week to keep him away from a co-defendant, Putnam County officials said at the time. He pleaded no contest on June 3 to trafficking hydrocodone and no longer needed to be held in a different facility, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

After the move, he was placed in general population in Putnam County and in a cell that has “inadequate ventilation and defective plumbing,” according to the court documents.

A hearing is scheduled for July 16 in the matter, and Croslin’s sentencing is planned for Aug. 6. He faces a minimum of three years in prison.

http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2010-07-01/story/tommy-croslin-was-denied-lawyer-jail-interrogation-lawyer-says

[Wrapitup]

OK, thanks. lisette. How confusing can this get??

He faces a minimum of three years in prison.

He is delusional if he thinks he will only get three years, I have heard him tell his wife in the jail calls. I wonder if she is still divorcing him.

[CritterFan1]

three years my tail!!

[lisette]

There evidently are still recordings of the Croslin's visits and phone calls, but not enough news organizations are requesting them (so the cost can be divided among many), so we are not getting to listen in on their madness...I read this somewhere, that Simon Barrett was the only one inquiring about them and he couldn't afford to pay the full cost alone...Don't know the truth of this, but I read it somewhere...

[Wrapitup]

It is here:

Florida’s Sunshine Law – The Fruit Comes At A Price!Posted on July 3rd, 2010 by Simon Barrett in Society and Culture, crimeRead 1,421 times.

It has been six weeks since we have had any Jail recordings concerning the Haleigh Cummings case. I touched base with the PIO for the St Johns jail today, and I was quite surprised by the conversation. I was merely asking what the schedule was for the release of more tapes.

He pointed out that there were no videos available, both Hank and Lisa are bound by their probation terms to stay within Putnam County. I countered with, ‘but there audio tapes’, these people do talk in the phone.

Yes there are recordings, and yes, they can be released.

Then came the zinger. Apparently BNN is the only news organization to ask for this information. As such we would have to pay for the manpower to create the CD’s. He went on to explain that in the past there had been 15-20 organizations interested, and so they had been able to share the manpower cost between the news organizations at the rate of $5 per DVD.

So folks, if you want to hear the latest audio tapes you are going to have to help us. No, we are not asking for money! We just need other news organizations to start asking for the tapes. If we can achieve that I am sure that the information will be made available at an equitable price.

I for one would love to hear the conversations between Misty and her family. I am also sure that there are some more very terse conversations between Tommy Croslin and his wife.

Toby Keith in his song American Soldier says ‘Freedom don’t come free’, this also applies to the Sunshine Law, Freedom Of Information has a price tag. I have a great deal of empathy with the Law Enforcement people, and realize that the LE dollar has to be stretched. I would rather that dollar be spent on solving the Haleigh Cummings case than fighting with CD’s on my behalf. The major issue is not creating the CD’s, but each conversation must be listened to, and redacted if required.

So folks, that is the story on the latest set of tapes.

I for one am somewhat surprised that BNN is the only organization interested in the information. But, as is so often the situation when covering news items, new cases take precedence over older ones.

It is possible that the interest level in the Haleigh Cummings case will gain some traction next week. There is a court appearance on July/6 that might just get some pens hitting the paper.

We will keep you informed of developments.

Simon and Jan Barrett

http://www.bloggernews.net/124837

I think many people are tired of them moaning and complaining and cursing and not taking responsibility for HaLeigh.

[lisette]

Yes, Wrap, that was the article that I was referring to...Thanks for posting it.

[Wrapitup]

You're welcome. I really can't believe not even TJ Hart or Art Harris hasn't asked for them. Unreal!

[Wrapitup]

Posted: June 3, 2010 - 10:28am
By Dana Treen

PALATKA — Misty Croslin, a central figure in the case of missing Haleigh Cummings, was told Thursday in Putnam County court that she has until mid-August to make a deal with prosecutors in seven drug-trafficking cases that could send her to prison for decades.

Croslin, who called authorities the night the 5-year-old went missing, appeared before Judge Terry LaRue ahead of her brother. Hank “Tommy” Croslin Jr., 23, pleaded no contest to trafficking and possession and will be sentenced this summer.

After four months in jail, the siblings are now closer to prison terms that are governed by minimum-mandatory sentences.

While the drug cases are not connected to Haleigh’s disappearance, investigators have said they would take advantage of the drug arrests to ask about the high-profile mystery.

One of the few ways for judges to deviate from minimum-mandatory sentences is when a defendant gives substantial assistance in another case.

The seven trafficking prescription drug charges faced by Misty Croslin, 18, come with minimum sentences of as much as 25 years, depending on the amount of drugs sold, if she is found guilty. She also faces an eighth trafficking charge in St. Johns County.

Thursday, the judge set a trial for Aug. 23 on the Putnam cases. Croslin has a “last chance plea date” of Aug. 16 to work out an agreement with prosecutors, LaRue said.

In a dark blue jail jumpsuit and with her hair braided tightly to her head, she spoke softly to the judge and signed notices for each of the seven counts. Her parents sat in the courtroom and later said it was upsetting to see the two brought into court.

“I about went into a panic attack,” their father, Hank Croslin Sr., said.

He said he doesn’t think Misty deserved all that.

Her attorney, Robert Fields, said recently that a plea deal was not being considered.

“We’re not in the business of giving up,” he said.

Fields has said Misty Croslin has been cooperating with detectives about Haleigh and said it is reasonable to believe pressure to resolve that case will affect the drug outcomes. The Satsuma kindergartner disappeared while in the care of Croslin, who was dating Haleigh’s father, Ronald Cummings.

Minimum-mandatory sen-tences give prosecutors significant clout, said Deborah Fleischaker of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, a national organization working to repeal the measures.

Selling pills with a total weight of half a Hershey bar is enough to mandate a 25-year sentence, Fleischaker said.

“It shifts the balance of power away from the courts to the prosecutor,” she said.

Prosecutors not only have discretion in picking charges but also are able to set the terms of the sentence, she said.

“The minimum-mandatory brings an enormous amount of pressure to bear on the defendant because they have huge sentences looming,” Fleischaker said.

Information in one case can be used in a sentencing deal in another, she said.

Along with the Croslins, others arrested in the undercover operation include Cummings, his cousin Hope Sykes, 19, who has already been sentenced to 15 years in prison, and Croslin’s friend Donna Brock, who was involved in the search for Haleigh after she disappeared in February 2009.

At Cummings’ most recent court appearance, his attorney said they are negotiating for a 15-year sentence.

Evidence in all the cases include dashboard recordings in an undercover detective’s car that provide audio and visual images of drug transactions involving hydrocodone pills.

Croslin’s brother was charged with possession of hydrocodone in November when he was found passed out in a van. He was later arrested in the undercover operation with the others.

He pleaded no contest to those charges Thursday and under sentencing guidelines faces a minimum of three years in prison. The judge could up that to 44 months or sentence him to a maximum of 30 years. By July 6, a date will be set for a sentencing hearing.

James Werter, the attorney for Croslin Jr., said his client has not agreed to testify for the state when his sister goes to trial.

“There’s no deals on the table,” he said.

Werter said prosecutors have been using the possibility of maximum sentences to shake those involved in the case.

“They just want to hang everybody and blast everybody,” he said.

The State Attorney’s Office would not comment directly on the cases, but prosecutors do use sentencing guidelines, State Attorney R.J. Larizza said in a statement from his office.

“Minimum mandatory sentences are the law and my office will enforce those laws as necessary to protect the citizens from dangerous, violent and career criminals,” the statement said.

http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2010-06-03/story/hank-croslin-jr-player-missing-haleigh-cummings-case-pleads-no-contest

Far as Donna Brock, looks like sentencing September 1st.

Croslin co-defendant pleads to drug charge
Donna Brock arrested with Croslin in undercover sting

Posted: June 16, 2010 - 12:03am
By RICHARD PRIOR

A woman who befriended the last person to see HaLeigh Cummings alive in February 2009 is facing at least 15 years in prison after pleading Tuesday to a drug trafficking charge.

Donna Michelle Brock, 44, who was arrested with Misty Croslin in an undercover operation in January, pleaded no contest to dealing between 14 and 28 grams of oxycodone.

The first-degree felony carries a maximum punishment of 30 years in prison. It calls for a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years and a $100,000 fine.

Brock stood unmoved with little change in expression as Assistant State Attorney Jackie Roys explained the terms of the plea offer.

Brock originally had been charged with trafficking in 28 grams to 30 kilograms of oxycodone. The minimum mandatory on that charge is 25 years and a $500,000 fine.

Defense attorney Michael P. Hines said he hoped to give the judge reasons to go below the minimum mandatory at his client's Sept. 1 sentencing.

St. Johns Circuit Judge Wendy W. Berger said she didn't believe she had the authority to do that but would research it.

She said she at least would be willing to consider anything Hines could offer to make sure the sentence stayed near 15 years.

Brock also agreed to testify truthfully against "any co-defendants" if the prosecution asks her.

That means Croslin, her only co-defendant.

Croslin, 18, is tentatively scheduled to go to trial in August on the same charge Brock originally faced -- trafficking in 28 grams to 30 kilograms of oxycodone.

She also faces another seven trafficking charges in Palatka.

Circuit Judge Terry LaRue in Palatka told her on June 3 that Aug. 16 is her "last-chance plea date" to work out a deal with the state on those charges.

Croslin was Ronald Cummings' live-in girlfriend and was babysitting for HaLeigh Cummings and her younger brother when the little girl disappeared from her father's Satsuma mobile home the night of Feb. 9, 2009.

Croslin and Cummings were married March 12, one month after the child disappeared.

They were divorced in October.

Brock has been identified as a former volunteer with Equusearch Mounted Search and Recovery in Dickinson, Texas, just northwest of Galveston. HaLeigh Cummings' family called on the group shortly after the 5-year-old child's disappearance.

Tim Miller, owner of Equusearch, later became openly critical of Croslin, insisting she knew more than she was telling investigators.

Last October, a driver on Interstate 4 called 911 last October and said the driver of a car Croslin was riding in had threatened her with a handgun as they raced down the roadway.

A Seminole County Sheriff's deputy had the car pull off at the Lake Mary exit.

Croslin and Brock were handcuffed and the car searched. They were released when no weapon was found.

Three others were also arrested during the January sting operation: Ronald Cummings; Croslin's brother, Hank Thomas "Tommy" Croslin Jr.; and Cummings' cousin, Hope A. Sykes.

Sykes was sentenced April 26 to 15 years in prison.

Tommy Croslin pleaded no contest to trafficking and drug possession on June 3. He is scheduled to be sentenced this summer.

Ronald Cummings is negotiating for a 15-year sentence on five trafficking charges in exchange for testimony at any future trial.

His ex-wife is now the only defendant left who has not pled.

Law enforcement officers have repeatedly denied that the trafficking arrests were designed as a way to put pressure on the defendants to talk about the little girl's disappearance.

http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2010-06-16/croslin-co-defendant-pleads-drug-charge

[Wrapitup]

Exclusive: Misty Croslin’s Bad Memory

Art Harris Exclusive: Misty Croslin on where Haleigh’s body was tossed

By Art Harris, The Bald Truth, (c) www.artharris.com, all rights reserved

By my count, Misty Cummings has flunked four lie detector tests, an initial test by the PCSD, a polygraph by Texas Equusearch, a layered voice analysis by investigator T.J. Ward, and the secret police polygraph we broke here at The Bald Truth that detectives were rooting for her to pass, or at least not fail “miserably,” according to my sources close to the case.

Very interesting. Please read rest here:
http://www.artharris.com/2010/07/20/exclusive-misty-croslins-bad-memory/#more-4444

[Wrapitup]

LISA CARMEN CROSLIN
PALATKA, FL
Booking Date & Time: 7/23/2010 10:10:00 PM - Booking#: 10-03153
Release Date & Time:
DOB: 9/10/1969 - RACE: W - SEX: F
Charges Misd/Felony Degree Bond Bond Posted
893.13-2a1 COCAINE PURCHASE SCHEDULE II F F $5,004.00 8/5/2010 9:15:09 AM
948.06 PROB VIOLATION N N $0.00
948.06 PROB VIOLATION N N $0.00
948.06 PROB VIOLATION N N $0.00
$5,004.00

How is this possible? Where would she get the money and more to the point, where would she go? Maybe she should go home to her mother, who is a trip. Grannie Hollars.

[Wrapitup]

In 18-month-old missing girl case, time in jail for key figures could lead to break

By Cindy Swirko
Staff writer

Published: Friday, August 20, 2010 at 7:40 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, August 20, 2010 at 7:40 p.m.

Soon, most of the key figures in the February 2009 disappearance of Haleigh Cummings will be in prison doing time on unrelated drug convictions.

Locked away with them will be whatever secrets they still might hold that could solve the case.

But legal experts say unraveling the mystery could hinge on classic legal tactics in which key figures feed investigators more information in the hopes of receiving a break in court.

After authorities in January arrested Misty Croslin and her brother Hank "Tommy" Croslin Jr. on drug charges, the two gave a new version of how Haleigh, then age 5, vanished from her Satsuma home.

But still, no arrests have been made in the girl's disappearance, and Haleigh has never been found.

Investigators with the Putnam County Sheriff's Office have declined to discuss the evidence they have gathered and whether they have been able to connect any suspects to the crime. They also have declined to say whether they believe the Croslins, given the way their stories have changed over the past 18 months.

Now, the hope of Haleigh's family is that if the Croslins have anything more to say, stewing in prison could bring it out.

"They just need to say what they know," Haleigh's mother, Crystal Sheffield, said Friday. "I just want my baby back."

Attorneys for the Croslins this week related what their clients told authorities about events the night Haleigh disappeared.

Misty and Tommy Croslin contend a cousin, Joe Overstreet, came to the Cummings home to steal a gun. The gun wasn't there, so he attacked Haleigh and took her from the home, attorneys said.

Overstreet then drove in a van with Tommy Croslin to a nearby boat ramp, and Overstreet threw her in the St. Johns River, attorneys said. The Croslins did not tell authorities earlier, the attorneys contended, because they were afraid of Overstreet.

A three-day search of the river in April between Satsuma and Welaka failed to turn up remains of Haleigh. Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy said then that authorities believe Haleigh is dead.

Overstreet is from Tennessee and is jailed there on drug charges. He has previously denied involvement in Haleigh's disappearance, and his attorney has not returned messages left last week.

Putnam County authorities have interviewed Overstreet. They have declined to discuss the matter.

The tactics used by the Croslins' attorneys are not unusual, said University of Florida law professor Bob Dekle, a former defense attorney and prosecutor.

It is not uncommon for defense attorneys to use information a client might have as leverage to get a lesser sentence, Dekle said.

The information has to prove valuable for the gambit to work, Dekle added.

It is also fairly common for people involved in a case to implicate someone else in a crime, Dekle said.

"As a prosecutor, whenever someone comes to you with that sort of an offer of information, you have to be extremely skeptical of the information and you have to have a way of satisfying yourself that the information is good information and not something that somebody made up just to get out of trouble," Dekle said. "Some people take their secrets to the grave. Some people, when those cold steel doors close behind them, start singing like a magpie."

Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, pleaded guilty Friday morning to three counts of trafficking in hydrocodone. His attorney says he hopes his client is sentenced to no more than 15 years in prison.

Ronald Cummings and other family members say they are skeptical someone would take a child because a gun was not there to steal. They also say the Croslins are still holding back information.

Cummings' attorney, Terry Shoemaker, said Friday that Cummings had met Overstreet several times but that they were not friends.

"(Ronald) is a little skeptical about the gun-to-Haleigh theory. It's hard to believe. I think he has a feeling there is still more to come out," Shoemaker said. "He didn't know (Overstreet) very well. They didn't get along. He never said he didn't like him, but they just didn't hit it off."

Haleigh was reported missing from her home about 3:30 a.m. Feb. 9, 2009. Ronald Cummings was at work while Misty Croslin, then Cummings' girlfriend, was home with Haleigh and Ronald Cummings Jr.

Misty Croslin initially told investigators she woke up around 3 a.m. to go to the bathroom and found that Haleigh was gone.

Homes and heavily wooded areas along the nearby St. Johns River were searched for days.

In January, the Croslins, Cummings, Cummings' cousin and a friend of Misty Croslin were arrested after a series of drug buys in an undercover operation. They were charged with varying counts of trafficking prescription narcotics.

Tommy Croslin recently was sentenced to 15 years in prison for drug trafficking and possession. Misty Croslin has pleaded no contest to multiple charges of trafficking and awaits sentencing.

Even if they were to provide more information, evidence can be problematic in cases that involve family members, Dekle said.

If, for instance, Haleigh's hair was found in the van, it could be argued that it came from previous rides in the van. Or if Overstreet's fingerprints were found in the home, they could have been left on previous visits.

"These all-in-the-family situations are very, very difficult for that very reason," Dekle said. "The ... crime scene is going to have both the victim's and the suspect's fingerprints and DNA and hair and whatnot all over the place."

Once sentenced and in prison, defendants still can receive a break should they provide crucial information. It would involve finding a judge who is willing to reopen the case so a new plea could be negotiated that would bring a reduced sentence.

Shoemaker has some hope that could happen.

"I think there is a better chance of them coming forward after they've sat in prison for a time," he said. "Once reality sets in and they say, oh boy, 15 years is a long time and 25 years is a long time, I think that will be a great motivator to try to rehash their plea agreement."

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100820/ARTICLES/100829948/1002?p=1&tc=pg

[Wrapitup]

Posted: September 1, 2010 - 3:04pm

BOB SELF/The Times-Union
Donna Brock sheds a tear as she recounts her life leading up to being arrested with Misty Croslin selling prescription drugs to an undercover officer. Donna Brock was sentenced to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison Wednesday in the St. Johns County Courthouse.

By Dana Treen
A woman arrested with one of the key players in the case of missing Haleigh Cummings was sentenced to 15 years in prison this afternoon in St. Johns County on one count of trafficking in prescription drugs.

Donna M. Brock, 44, pleaded guilty after selling oxycodone pills to an undercover officer in January at a truck stop off Interstate 95. She was with Misty Croslin, who reported 5-year-old Haleigh missing in Februay 2009.

Croslin has pleaded no contest to the same charge and seven other similar counts.

Judge Wendy Berger also fined Brock $100,000. At the hour-long hearing, Brock told the judge how she had searched for other missing children and said she was trying to gain Croslin's trust to learn about Haleigh's disappearance.

She admitted she gave the drugs to Croslin initially after the 18-year-old had some teeth pullled, but then took part in their illegal sale.

"I ended up giving her my prescription and that was the prescription she sold," she said.

The judge said Brock had opportunities not to sell the pills but didn't.

"You made a choice and it was a bad choice," Berger said. She said under state guidelines she could not sentence Brock to less that 15 years despite Brock's lack of a criminal record, years of volunteer work and testimony of two people who appealed for leniency.

Brock was arrested with Croslin in January days after an undercover officer bought 155 oxycodone pills from the pair at a St. Johns County truck stop. The two met the officer about 4:30 a.m. at the Flying J on Florida 206 off Interstate 95.

Brock befriended Croslin early in the search for Haleigh.

Brock is from North Carolina but rented place in Orlando where she worked on searches with EquuSearch, a Texas volunteer group that conducts missing-person searches. Founder Tim Miller encouraged the friendship to try and learn what Croslin knew about Haleigh's disappearance. He later lost trust in Brock and cut ties with her.

In early October, when Brock and Croslin were in Seminole County, a woman called police to say two women in a blue Dodge were harassing her and waving a gun. When police pulled the Dodge over to investigate the road rage complaint, Brock and Croslin were inside. They were handcuffed but released when no gun was found.

Croslin still faces sentencing in her cases.

http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2010-09-01/story/figure-haleigh-cummings-case-gets-15-years-drug-trafficking

[Nama]

[Wrapitup]

That is a far cry from the blond w/all the make up.

"15" seems to be the lucky number. Hope that lucky number is more like "30" for Misty and Ron.

[CritterFan1]

Wish I had been born a Croslin, I would always be in jail or on my way back to jail....free medical plan, free dental plan and three meals a day. What a life of luxury. I have heard of a bad seed, but a whole bad seed family? Sickening.

[Wrapitup]

Donna Brock is NOT related but I catch your drift!

[Guest]

Wow she got 15 yrs! I can't wait to see what Ron and Misty get. Justice for HaLeigh any way we can get it.

[Wrapitup]

Never ending:


LISA CARMEN CROSLIN
PALATKA, FL
Booking Date & Time: 9/3/2010 2:00:00 PM - Booking#: 10-03659
Release Date & Time: 9/3/2010 4:23:55 PM
DOB: 9/10/1969 - RACE: W - SEX: F
Charges Misd/Felony Degree Bond Bond Posted
948.06 PROB VIOLATION N N $1,504.00 9/3/2010 4:08:19 PM
948.06 PROB VIOLATION N N $1,504.00 9/3/2010 4:08:19 PM
948.06 PROB VIOLATION N N $1,504.00 9/3/2010 4:08:19 PM
$4,512.00

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