Misty Croslin Sentenced to 25 Years!!!!/ Misty receives ANOTHER 25 YEAR sentence/ Sentences to run concurrent /Misty speaks from prison about HaLeigh, Ron & her parents. Must-see video!! Misty loses appeal as of 10/07/11

Moving to it's own thread:

by lisette Today at 12:35

Posted: 1:00 pm EDT August 16, 2010
Updated: 1:06 pm EDT August 16, 2010

PALATKA, Fla. -- The woman at home with a Florida girl the night she went missing has pleaded no contest to unrelated drug trafficking charges.
Misty Croslin could be sentenced up to 25 years in prison.
The 18-year-old woman was arrested in January following an undercover operation that resulted in five arrests.
She pleaded no contest Monday to charges of trafficking in prescription drugs in Putnam County. She faces similar charges in St. Johns County, where a hearing is set Tuesday. Assistant State Attorney Jason Lewis expects a similar plea change in that case.
Croslin was watching Haleigh Cummings the night the 5-year-old disappeared in February 2009.
Haleigh's father also was charged in the same undercover sting earlier this year and has tentatively agreed to a 15-year sentence.

http://www.wftv.com/news/24647282/detail.html

Haleigh Cummings Babysitter Misty Croslin Pleads NoloPosted on August 16th, 2010 by Simon Barrett in crimeRead 556 times.
On Monday morning Misty Croslin, the last person to see missing Haleigh Cummings was back in court on the unrelated, yet very related drug trafficking charges. Her plea of No Contest to the seven charges places her at the mercy of the court. The worst case scenario based on minimum mandatory sentencing guidelines is that she could face a daunting 89 years behind bars!

Following the court appearance we had the opportunity to talk with someone that was present at the hearing:

Misty was dressed in prison garb and shackled, her head hung low and looked completely defeated. This was a very far cry from the defiant young lady that we have seen in the past.

Even if all sentences are permitted to be served concurrently she still faces 25 years of incarceration. However even with this ‘best case scenario’ she still has another hurdle. To the best of my knowledge she is due in St Johns County tomorrow to face yet another Trafficking charge with a minimum mandatory of 25 years. Doing some sample math, 25 + 25 = 50.

There is one rabbit that her attorney can pull out of the hat, he has a ‘one shot’ at applying the Youthful Offender defense. Th 89 years could be reduced to a more manageable 6 years. However with the St Johns charges the total still comes to a very daunting 31 years.

The judge today set an October 19 pre-sentencing hearing, however he also explained that the hearing likely would not occur on that particular date. Attorney Fields has asked for a three hour time slot for this hearing. Almost certainly this will be to play the Youthful Offender card.

Also in court tomorrow will be Hank and Lisa Croslin on their own drug charges. It is possible that charges against Lisa Croslin may be dropped or reduced. That in itself creates an interesting dynamic. Lisa already faces some fines on other charges, she has no job, no home, and really no place to go if released. It might be a better strategy to opt to remain in jail and ‘work off’ the fines.

BNN is hoping to have observers in court for both events tomorrow and so we should have eyewitness accounts.

Simon and Jan Barrett

http://www.bloggernews.net/125081

I posted as well but I put it in The Convicted section

I will move it here. She has NOT been convicted yet. Not till October. She only plead today.

artgal16 wrote:I posted as well but I put it in The Convicted section

You posted in "The Accused", not Convicted. LOL.

moving here:
posted by Artgal

NOTE: See Simon Barrett's entry at bloggernews.net as he was able to speak to someone inside the courtroom.

PALATKA, Fla. -- Misty Croslin, the teenager who was the last person to see Haleigh Cummings before she disappeared in February 2009, pleaded no contest on Monday to drug trafficking charges.

Misty Croslin, along with Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, her brother, Hank Croslin Jr., and two others were arrested in January in an undercover sting and charged with selling prescription drugs.

Prosecutors have released surveillance videos they said shows undercover drug deals involving Misty Croslin and Cummings.

Misty Crolsin's attorney, Robert Fields, told the judge there was a "landslide of evidence" against her, including the undercover video, led to her no contest plea, WJXT-TV reported.

Cummings is nearing a plea agreement, and Hank Croslin has already pleaded no contest to similar charges and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

WJXT-TV was told Misty Croslin could face more than 200 years in prison on the seven counts of drug trafficking, but as a youthful offender, her sentence will more likely be about 25 years. Sentencing was scheduled for Oct. 19.

Misty Croslin faces one more drug trafficking charge in St. Johns County.

Authorities have maintained that the drug charges have no connection to the ongoing investigation of Haleigh's disappearance, which they now consider a homicide case.

Haleigh was 5 years old when she vanished from her home in Satsuma, in southern Putnam County. Misty Croslin, who was Cumming's girlfriend when Haleigh disappeared, married and divorced him within six months.
http://seamusoriley.blogspot.com/

Yes Im sorry I did post in the accused
I get mixed up - Im never sure where to put them!

If it's breaking news, as I would consider this to be, just post in the Lounge and the admin's can always move it later. Thanks for posting!!

Missing Haleigh Cummings' Former Stepmother Likely Faces 25 Years In Prison
POSTED: Monday, August 16, 2010
UPDATED: 5:18 pm EDT August 16, 2010

PALATKA, Fla. -- Misty Cummings, the 18-year-old who was the last person to see Haleigh Cummings before she disappeared in February 2009, pleaded no contest Monday morning to drug trafficking charges.
Misty, Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, Misty's brother, Hank Croslin Jr., and two others were arrested in January in an undercover sting and charged with selling prescription drugs.

Prosecutors have released surveillance videos they said shows undercover drug deals involving Misty and Ronald Cummings.

Misty's attorney, Robert Fields, told the judge a "landslide of evidence" against Cummings, including the undercover video, led to her no contest plea.
Ronald Cummings is nearing a plea agreement, and Hank Croslin has already pleaded no contest to similar charges and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Channel 4 was told Misty could face about 200 years in prison on the seven counts of drug trafficking, but as a youthful offender, her sentence will more likely range from six to 25 years, lawyers said. Sentencing was scheduled for Oct. 19.

Misty faces one more drug trafficking charge in St. Johns County. Prosecutors said she can only qualify as a youthful offender once and so could still face up to 25 years on the charge in St. Johns County, where she is expected to enter another no contest plea Tuesday morning.

Authorities have maintained that the drug charges have no connection to the ongoing investigation of Haleigh's disappearance, which they now consider a homicide case.

An Amber Alert was issued Feb. 10, 2009, for 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings

Haleigh was 5 years old when she vanished from her home in Satsuma, in southern Putnam County. Misty, who was Ronald's girlfriend when Haleigh disappeared, married and divorced him within six months.
Misty's grandmother, Flora Hollars, who lives in Tennessee, said she thinks as long as she and her brother, Hank, are in jail, they won't tell what they know about Haleigh.

"I believe they'll do more talking out of jail," Hollars said in a phone interview Monday. "Look at how long it's been. They ain't said nothing."

Misty and Hank's mom and dad were also recently arrested and are in jail on drug charges. Hollars said with the entire family in jail, the chances of them talking are slim to none.

"I don't think they'll say anything as long as they're in jail," Hollars said. "If they were out, they might talk."
Hollars said she still believes Haleigh's body was dumped into the St. Johns River, and in her opinion, everyone in the Croslin family knows more than what they've admitted to.

"Misty is the one that told me they wrapped her in a bag and tied it with a yellow rope and dropped her into the St. Johns River," Hollars said.

Even with little to no physical evidence, deputies are treating Haleigh's disappearance as a homicide, and they're likely hoping that one of the Croslins will eventually crack while in jail.

"I think Ronald knows more than he's saying, too," Hollars said.


http://www.news4jax.com/news/24645217/detail.html#

Boy, Misty has gotten a little "chunky", like Ronald...The drugs that kept them thin are not available, I guess.

OMG look at her! That don't look Misty.

Her hair is cut, too.

So Lisa and Hank go to court tomorrow. I had read that Lisa had bailed out. Guess not.

Posted on August 17th, 2010
by Simon Barrett

Tuesday saw Misty Croslin back in court, this time in St. Augustine. This was to face yet another drug trafficking charge, one that carries a 25 year mandatory minimum. Her plea of Nolo should come as no surprise. However that is not to say that the hearing did not have its fair share of surprises.

The biggest surprise is that the pre-sentance hearing has been set for October/9 and will be held IN CONJUNCTION with the Putnam County charges that she pled to yesterday. This ‘joining’ of the two cases opens an interesting door. Does this mean that attorney Fields can now play his Youthful Offender card and have it stick across both cases? Could Misty Croslin score a measly six years and walk away from these charges spending far less jail time than her accomplices?

The second surprise was to be found in the audience. In attendance were both Crystal Sheffield, her mother Marie Griffis and another unknown female. Our observer who was in the court room told us that throughout the hearing Crystal looked distinctly nervous, wringing her hands, and tapping her feet.

I find it somewhat curious that the Sheffield’s did not attend the recent vigil for missing Haleigh Cummings, yet would turn up for for Misty Croslin’s court appearance in a case completely unrelated to the search for Haleigh Cummings.

We are still waiting for a report on the court appearances of Hank and Lisa Croslin. We will bring you an update as soon as we have it.

Simon Barrett

http://www.bloggernews.net/125088

What does Barrett find interesting in Crystals appearance at this hearing? I wonder what hes getting at. What would make Crystal so nervous?

The vigil was held by the Cummings side and I am not suprised Crystal did not attend. I also am not surprised that Crystal attended Misty hearing. She is probably nervous knowing Misty did something to HaLeigh and she may only get 6 yrs. That is BS.

artgal16 wrote:What does Barrett find interesting in Crystals appearance at this hearing? I wonder what hes getting at. What would make Crystal so nervous?

Simon gets on my nerves. He constantly says NOTHING. He needs to defend his insinuations. I am w/LM on this one. I don't blame Crystal for being in court. Plus, this was closer to where she and her mom live. And, I don't blame Crystal for not going to the vigil for HaLeigh. I think at this point, especially with so many of the Croslin's and Ron in jail..it is probably better they stay away from the Cummings family.

Wrap, I never thought of that - its not curious at all then that Crystal didnt go to the Cummings vigil.
If Misty is facing 50 years in prison, shes not going to open her mouth until the sentencing. She might only get the youthful offender sentence. I actually believe she will only get the minimum for a youthful offender.
She's only 18 and this is her first offense isnt it?
She fits the criteria, I cannot believe a judge will give her the maximum.

We shall soon find out in October. Personally, I hope they throw the book at her.

Have you read the latest alibi that I posted for Haleigh going "missing"? It's in the lounge.

I just read it, and I dont believe one lying word of it.
Misty must be powerfully scared if she wouldnt do a plea deal in exchange for not getting 50 years in jail.

I think she would rather plead nolo to the drug charges than tell the truth about the murder. HOWEVER, I have NEVER thought Misty actually murdered HaLeigh. I have always thought, like most of us..she knows more than she was saying. I suppose this is the "more"?

IF she were involved in HaLeigh's murder, she could get life or the DP, so pleading nolo on drugs is a much lighter sentence, UNLESS they throw the book at her....which they could but doubt they will.

I dont think she murdered her either. However, if she confesses to all these things why havent they ever charged her as an accessory to child neglect or abuse or something? Maybe they cant prove a murder but
there must have been something they could have added that might have been an incentive to get her to tell the truth. Where is overstreet now? Hes in jail too isnt he? Just not in Florida?

You know, this girl has never had one iota of a role model. You can see the emptiness in her eyes. She has no clue what a real family is all about. No wonder she "ran to Ron" - probably more as a "father figure".

Joe Overstreet is in jail in Tenn. for manufacturing marijuana in his backyard (give me a break!!) and possession of paraphernalia.

I completely agree with you, Artgal. Why haven't they charged her for obstruction? That, iMO, would be the charge. She literally obstructed LE from finding HaLeigh's body and immediately ID'ing Overstreet and her brother. And, if LE has known about this since the day after she was arrested in January, I would think by now, her charges would be more than just drugs.

BJ, thanks for the pics!!!

Misty does...she looks like a lost child sitting there with her new hairdo and fly-aways. Now that she is off of drugs, she has gained weight. She looks much healthier than she used to.

Posted: August 18, 2010 - 12:10am

Croslin appeared in court in St. Augustine on Tuesday and pleaded to a drug trafficking charge, guaranteeing a minimum mandatory sentence of 25 years and a $500,000 fine. By DON BURK, Morris News Service

By RICHARD PRIOR

A soft-spoken Misty Janette Croslin could barely be heard Tuesday as she pleaded to a drug trafficking charge that guarantees she will spend at least the next 25 years of her life in prison.

Croslin, 19, was charged with trafficking between 28 grams and 30 kilograms of Oxycodone after selling 155 Endocet tablets to an undercover officer on Jan. 8.

The tablets, which totaled 70.7 grams, sold for $800, Assistant State Attorney Jason Lewis said Tuesday during Croslin's court appearance before St. Johns Circuit Judge Wendy W. Berger.

Trafficking is a first-degree felony, punishable by up to 30 years in prison. There is a minimum mandatory sentence of 25 years and a $500,000 fine for trafficking in the amount Croslin was charged with.

Croslin will return to St. Johns County for formal sentencing on Oct. 8.

She pleaded no contest Monday in Putnam County to seven prescription drug trafficking charges.

She faces 25 years in prison for those offenses, too.

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

HaLeigh Cummings, who would have been 7 years old on Tuesday, 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.

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 was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Aug. 6.

Brock is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 1.

http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2010-08-18/croslin-faces-25-years-after-trafficking-plea

Croslin family...If you hadn't been doing it, they couldn't have caught you...If you didn't want pressure put on you, don't do something that you can get caught for...DUH!!

And who goes selling drugs when their daughter is missing? We've all seen the surveillance tapes and Ron doesn't sound like he is grieving at all.

Misty Croslin, who baby sat Putnam County child Haleigh Cummings the night she disappeared, is scheduled to be sentenced today in St. Johns County in a drug-trafficking case.

Croslin, 18, faces a long prison sentence after entering a no-contest plea to a charge of trafficking in oxycodone.

Circuit Court Judge Wendy W. Berger is scheduled to sentence Croslin at 1:30 p.m. in the Richard O. Watson Judicial Center in St. Augustine.

Croslin also faces seven similar charges in Putnam County, where she also pleaded no contest.

Croslin is thought to be the last person to see Haleigh alive before she vanished from her father's Satsuma home in February 2009 when she was 5.

No one has been charged in her disappearance, though Putnam County authorities have said the girl is likely dead and they are treating her case as a homicide.

Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, was dating Croslin at the time and came home from work to find her missing.

He also was arrested in a drug-trafficking sting.

Cummings was sentenced last month to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay $250,000 in fines in connection with his drug-trafficking case.

The sentence came after he pleaded guilty to three counts of trafficking in hydrocodone. Two trafficking counts were dropped and he agreed to "provide truthful testimony" in future cases, including the one involving his daughter's disappearance.
So...what has he said? What has he known all this time. I cry b.s. on this!
Check back later for updates.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-misty-croslin-sentencing-drugs-20101008,0,966819.story

Today is just the St. John's County charges. She could get a max of 25 years. However, the Putnum County charges could get her over 100 years. That is so ridiculous. Why don't they just say life w/no possibility of parole?

Misty Croslin in Court, to Be Sentenced on Drug Charge

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. -- Misty Croslin's mother testified on her behalf today during Croslin's sentencing for trafficking oxycodone, a prescription pain medication.

Croslin was the last person known to see 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings last year before her disappearance sparked a nationwide Amber Alert. Haleigh remains missing.

Lisa Croslin testified today that she was a "terrible mother." She used drugs, she said, when she was raising her daughter, and that Croslin failed seventh grade, then never returned to school.

Her mother and other family members are sitting behind her in the St. Johns County courtroom, and relatives of Haleigh Cummings are also in the courtroom.

As Misty Croslin became hysterical, her mother also said that she blackmailed her daughter for Xanax during the Haleigh investigation. She testified that she was unsure of her daughter's age, what a PTS is, and whether Misty Crosline can add.

Today Circuit Court Judge Wendy Berger is presiding; the first witness was FBI investigator Travis Smith.

Smith said Croslin told undercover agents she could get could get another 30 pills soon and that she had four sources for drugs. She also promised to buy 50 percoset, Smith said adding that she did all the calling and transactions with the FBI.

She was arrested earlier this year, along with her ex-husband and Haleigh's father Ronald Cummings. Croslin's brother Hank was also arrested for drug trafficking.

Smith said Croslin had a large network, 200 pills potentially. "That is a large amount of hydrocodone," he said.

"Why do you feel she is not innocent and she is a drug dealer?" her attorney asked.

"She had multiple sources," Smith replied. "She had the knowledge...the prices were dead on with the market rate."

Croslin was babysitting Haleigh in February 2009, and said the little girl vanished from the Satsuma trailer.

There has been no sign of Haleigh since, and various stories about what happened to the girl have been offered by the Croslins over the past few months.

The Croslins and Cummings were arrested as part of an undercover drug operation.

Cummings was sentenced last month to 15 years in prison for his role in the drug trafficking.

A few months ago, Hank Croslin was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Misty Croslin has entered a no contest plea. She could be sentenced anywhere from about six years to 240 years.

She is also scheduled for another sentencing on charges of trafficking hydrocodone and/or oxycodone in Putnam County Court on October 19th.

The State Attorney's Office said there are different sentencing dates and locations because the offenses were committed in two separate counties.

Haleigh's family continues to hold out hope that new information about the girl's disappearance will turn up because of the drug cases.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/topstories/news-article.aspx?storyid=170750&catid=3&GID=N3WFsfzUapCK7PpKY8AYk5xuOzCQ815sR4Gb1dW9I2I%3D

As Misty Croslin became hysterical, her mother also said that she blackmailed her daughter for xanax during the Haleigh investigation. She testified that she was unsure of her daughter's age, what a PTS is, and whether Misty Crosline can add.

She is unsure of her daughter's age??? She "blackmailed" Misty for xanax? Why? To get the truth out of her? And, what the hail is a PTS. Does she mean STD?? :jaw dropping:

I just looked up PTS and I came up with Post Traumatic Stress...Don't know if that was what they were asking Lisa about or not...Looks like we're all in the same boat as Lisa Croslin

Misty Faces Sentencing On Drug Charge
Missing Girl's Former Stepmother Likely Faces 25 Years In Prison

POSTED: Friday, October 8, 2010
UPDATED: 3:10 pm EDT October 8, 2010

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- Misty Croslin Cummings, the 18-year-old who was the last person to see Haleigh Cummings before the girl disappeared in February 2009, to a judge that will sentence her on a drug trafficking charge in St. Johns County that she was set up.

Misty, Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, Misty's brother, Hank Croslin Jr., and two others were arrested in January in an undercover sting and charged with selling prescription drugs in January.

Video: Misty To Be Sentenced
http://www.news4jax.com/video/25325373/index.html

Prosecutors released surveillance videos they said shows undercover drug deals involving Misty and Ronald Cummings.

In August, Misty's attorney, Robert Fields, told the judge that a "landslide of evidence," including the undercover video, led to her to plead no contest.

Misty is the last of the five arrested to be sentenced. Ronald Cummings and Hank Croslin Jr. both received 15-year sentences.

During a sentencing hearing that began at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Misty told Judge Wendy Berger that she was raped by two people between the the ages of seven and 14 while she was taking care of her great grandmother. She said that while Ronald Cummings was rough with her, it was an upgrade in her life and she loved him.

Misty could face up to 25 years in prison on the one count of trafficking in oxycodone in St. Johns County. Later this month, she will be sentenced on seven counts of drug trafficking pending in Putnam County, where she could face up to 200 years.

Prosecutors said she could qualify for a reduced sentence as a youthful offender, since she was 17 at the time of the crime, which could reduce her sentence to between six and 25 years.

Authorities have maintained that the drug charges have no connection to the ongoing investigation of Haleigh's disappearance, which they now consider a homicide case.

Haleigh was 5 years old when she vanished from her home in Satsuma, in southern Putnam County. Misty, who was Ronald's girlfriend when Haleigh disappeared, married and divorced him within six months.

Even with little to no physical evidence, deputies are treating Haleigh's disappearance as a homicide, and investigators have continued questioning the Croslins while in jail hoping to learn new information.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/25325313/detail.html

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. -- Misty Croslin will serve 25 years in prison for trafficking drugs, a St. Johns County judge ruled today.

The sentence is and serve five years of probation.the minimum mandatory; she also will pay $500,000

She was charged with trafficking oxycodone, a prescription pain medication, but is likely better known for being the last known person to see 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings last year before her disappearance sparked a nationwide Amber Alert. Haleigh remains missing.

She took the stand in her own defense, saying that she started selling drugs because she grew up poor. "It is wrong to drug deal, but when you grow up poor, that is what you do," she said on the stand during defense questioning.

She agreed that for the first time in her life, she is in control.

She also was questioned by Judge Wendy Berger who asked her why she should be treated different than her codefendants.

Croslin was arrested earlier this year, along with her ex-husband and Haleigh's father Ronald Cummings. Croslin's brother Hank was also arrested for drug trafficking. Both got 15 years in prison.

"I wouldn't be here if (the FBI) didn't come at me... I'm not a drug dealer," Croslin responded.

Berger disagreed. She pointed at Haleigh's family in the courtroom. "They're here because of Haleigh, you're here because of drugs."

Croslin also asked to be sentenced as a youthful offender. "I'm so young, I have a lot of life ahead of me...."

"But you like the money?" said Berger. "Yes," Croslin responded.

The state argued with Croslin about her involvement in the drug deals; she has persisted that she was not the leader and that the drug contacts were the groups' not hers alone.

She persisted that she was not into pills. "I'm into marijuana; I don't sell it, I smoke it."This is one daft chick. What a thing to say on the stand!!!!!

Read rest here:

http://www.news4jax.com/news/25325313/detail.html

She faces 9 more charges in Putnam county! What I want to know is, how long will she really have to serve?

Misty Croslin's family is still standing by her after her 25-year prison sentence was announced today, but the family of her ex-husband isn't happy.

Croslin was briefly married to Ronald Cummings, who is also serving a prison sentence for drugs. She was babysitting Haleigh Cummings, his daughter, the night Haleigh disappeared if Feb. 2009; Haleigh has not been found.

After Misty Croslin's sentencing today, Ronald Cummings' mother, Teresa Neves, said she's still hoping for information about Haleigh.

Neves said hopefully now that Croslin, her brother Tommy Croslin, and Cummings are all sentenced to prison on drug charges, more facts about Haleigh's disappearance can be told.

Since Feb. 2009, investigators have maintained Misty Croslin holds the vital information in the case, and that she wasn't telling everything she knew.

Earlier this year, through her attorney, she said her brother and her cousin took Haleigh, and that re-intensified the search for her, but the search turned up nothing.

Today, Neves said hopefully Misty will tell even more, and if Haleigh is still missing in 25 years when Misty's sentence is up, she should be put away for another 25 years.

Haleigh's mother, Crystal Sheffield, was also in court today for the sentencing, but was too emotional to speak.

Misty Croslin's family was also in court for support, and after the sentencing, her grandmother, Flora Hollars, said Croslin had been scared she would get the maximum sentence, which was for many more years than Misty would live.

Misty had asked to be sentenced as a youthful offender, which would have meant a six-year sentence. But Judge Wendy Berger decided she was too much of a player in the drug scene, and decided on a sentence of 25 years in prison and five years probation.

Hollars said Misty was sure she wouldn't get a youthful offender sentence.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=170809&catid=3

Poor Baby!

Wonder if she's still telling everyone they can just kiss her ?

Neves said hopefully now that Croslin, her brother Tommy Croslin, and Cummings are all sentenced to prison on drug charges, more facts about Haleigh's disappearance can be told.

Excuse me? Didn't Mother Teresa's son get a plea deal for information he has on Misty and what happened to HaLeigh? WTF is Neves talking about? And have we heard anything compelling from Ron?

In a way justice is being served. I don't think we will ever find out what happened to beautiful little Haleigh but those key players, those responsible for her well being that failed her so badly are locked up and behind bars.

They can't enjoy their lives and will endure a hell behind bars.

Cocky Ronald Cummings. Movie star Misty Croslin and dumb bunny Tommy.

I say throw away the key. The final curtain falls.

Well said, Jeanne. I agree, they got long sentences
and they are out of commission for a long time. Their lives are ruined as their names are. I agree we will never know what happened to Haleigh now.

Im listening to JVM, I didnt know Misty was raped in 7th grade. Also listening to one attorney, he said he felt her sentence was too strong. She has no prior arrests
and in the context of things this was a minor drug bust,
plus the mitigating circumstances of her horrible childhood and addicted parents. I think about Haleigh and wonder if she had lived, would she have ended up like Misty?

Misty Croslin, the Putnam County woman who was with 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings in February 2009 when the girl was reported missing, was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison for trafficking oxycodone.

Circuit Judge Wendy Berger handed down the sentence following testimony from Croslin and her mother, Lisa Croslin, that included details of Misty Croslin's rape, her elementary-level education, and of her growing up with drug abusing parents who often left their kids to fend for themselves.

Croslin and her attorney, Robert Fields, said the reason Croslin was investigated for drug trafficking was because of her involvement in the Haleigh case.

But Berger was not swayed.

"It is clear that you had a hard life, but lots of people have hard lives and don't always end up committing crimes," Berger said in delivering the sentence. "You may not have a lot of book smarts — you have a lot of street smarts. You did it for the money. This case is not about Haleigh Cummings, Misty. This case is about you and your co-defendants in trafficking drugs. You are here because you sold drugs."

The sentence was the mandatory minimum for the amount of drugs involved in the St. Johns County case, which stemmed from a police investigation in January. Her sentencing on seven additional counts in Putnam County is scheduled for Oct. 19.

Croslin, 18, said she knew that dealing drugs was wrong but added the reason there was an undercover operation was because of Haleigh's case. The girl's father — Ronald Cummings — and three others also were arrested and have been sentenced in the drug case.

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the Haleigh Cummings case. I wouldn't have been set up. People are judging me and they don't even know me," Croslin said. "I do know I was wrong for what I did. I am not trying to blame anyone else."

Croslin said that a Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent who worked on the drug investigation told her when they were about to ride in the same car to "just take me to (Haleigh's) body. Do it before (Oct. 8) because you are going to be sentenced and you are going way for a long, long time."

That agent, Travis Smith, testified he told Croslin he wished she would take him to the body. He said Croslin was a mid-level drug dealer who investigators target for undercover operations.

Smith said Croslin had multiple sources from whom to get drugs, an indication that she was versed in trafficking.

"A person who is naive to the drug business or new to the drug business isn't going to have multiple sources of supply, isn't going to have the credibility," Smith said.

Croslin's attorney Robert Fields argued for youthful offender status, which would have been a sentence of six years. He brought out information from Croslin and her mother, Lisa Croslin, alleging his client grew up with parents who used drugs heavily, lived in campgrounds for lengthy periods and that she was raped by several men, including a man who repeatedly raped her when she was between the ages of 7 and 14.

Croslin is the last of five co-defendants to be sentenced. All have received prison time.

Several of the others — including Ronald Cummings — cut plea deals with the state that included a provision that they would testify, if needed, in Croslin's case.

Lisa Croslin would not comment about the sentence afterward. Croslin's grandmother, Flora Hollars, said she had spoken in recent days with Croslin and that Croslin believed she was going to get the full sentence.

Croslin's legs repeatedly shook during the proceeding and she often broke down in tears. Meanwhile, Haleigh's mother, Crystal Sheffield, at times shook her head during testimony and also cried at several points.

Teresa Neves, Ronald Cummings' mother, afterward described Croslin as an "18-year-old who has every excuse in the book ... She got what she deserved and she should be there until she tells where Haleigh is."

Croslin was Cummings' girlfriend and was home with Haleigh and her younger brother, Ronald Jr., on the night she disappeared. Croslin initially told police someone took the little girl in the middle of the night. She later implicated a cousin, Joseph Overstreet, who lives in Tennessee. He has denied the accusations. Authorities have interviewed him on the matter.

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20101008/ARTICLES/101009491/1109/sports?p=3&tc=pg

Mistys tears do not move me one little bit.

The tears that move me are the ones little Haleigh must have shed that terrible night they killed her.

My heart breaks for Haleigh. A child that should have been protected and loved.

A history of abuse, neglect and repeated rape described in a St. Johns County courtroom Friday wasn’t enough to deflect a 25-year prescription drug-dealing sentence for Misty Croslin.

Croslin, 18, wept at times and wiped her eyes as she told about her parents’ drug and alcohol abuse, a history of living in campgrounds and being left alone to fend for herself with two brothers. Pregnant at 14, she ran away to New Jersey with a boyfriend but was found and brought back to Florida.

She said she had been a rape victim for years before that. She was ridiculed in school because she couldn’t read or write. Croslin quit without passing the seventh grade because of a rape. Her attacker was sent to prison in the case, her attorney said.

Growing up with nothing made selling drugs a way to provide for herself, she said.

“I’m not a drug dealer,” she told the judge.

“Yeah you are,” Judge Wendy Berger said. “Yeah you are.”

The sentence was for Croslin’s no-contest plea in St. Johns County to one count of trafficking in oxycodone. She still faces sentencing on seven similar charges in Putnam County. An Oct. 19 date has been set there.

Croslin has been the nationwide focus of missing Haleigh Cummings, who was in her care in Satsuma when the 5-year-old vanished in February 2009.

Her attorney, Robert Fields, said the whole drug case against Croslin was motivated by attempts by investigators to solve the disappearance of Haleigh, who the sheriff has said is believed dead. If investigators could tangle Croslin up in drug deals, they could gain leverage in learning what really happened.

Croslin is one of five people arrested in an undercover drug operation in December and January. She is the last to be sentenced. Ronald Cummings, Haleigh’s father, is among the others.

Croslin had moved in with Cummings before Haleigh disappeared. They married soon after the disappearance and divorced within months.

“I loved him, and it was better than where I was,” she said.

The others charged in the case also have ties to Haleigh and have been sentenced to 15 years apiece.
Fields wanted Croslin sentenced as a youthful offender. She had no prior criminal record and just turned 18 when the first undercover transaction was made.

After retiring to her chambers to decide a sentence, Berger said the trafficking case weighed too heavily to be overcome by the circumstances in Croslin’s life, however grim.
“Lots of people have hard lives and don’t end up committing crimes,” said Berger, who sentenced Croslin to a minimum mandatory 25 years in prison, imposed $500,000 in state-mandated fines and ordered drug-offender probation when she is released.

The youthful offender law would have limited the sentence to six years. Berger said that was too light.
“You made a choice and now you have to live with the choice you made,” she said.

Berger also dismissed the connection to Haleigh’s case.

“Maybe you wouldn’t have gotten caught as soon, but you would have gotten caught,” she said.

Prosecutor Jason Lewis, who asked for the maximum of 30 years, called the sentence “very fair.”

He argued that Croslin called to set up deals and had five or more connections to get drugs.

Cummings’ mother, Teresa Neves, attended the hearing and agreed with the sentence.

“It came down to she got what she deserved,” she said.

Neves said she believes Croslin has the key to what happened to Haleigh.

“She needs to stay there until she tells what happened to Haleigh,” she said.

Croslin was arrested nearly a year after Haleigh’s disappearance along with her brother Hank “Tommy” Croslin Jr., Cummings, his cousin Hope Sykes and Donna Brock, who met Misty Croslin during the search for Haleigh.

The St. Johns County case involved Croslin and Brock.

On Jan. 8 Croslin called an undercover detective to say she and Brock were coming to Florida from Virginia and had “a lot” of oxycodone pills from a prescription in Brock’s name.

Croslin told the detective Brock needed the money, according to one of eight phone conversations between Croslin and the detective that night.

At one point Croslin said she was “freaked out” because of the amount of pills and money. She told the detective she didn’t like talking on her phone.

The three met at the Flying J truck stop at Interstate 95 and Florida 206 in St. Johns County about 4:30 that morning.

The detective bought 155 Endocet pills weighing 70 grams for $800. The transaction was recorded using a dashboard camera in the undercover car.

Croslin told the detective Brock would have more pills in three months. The detective gave her an additional $100 for facilitating the deal.

Lisa Croslin, Misty’s mother, addressed the judge Friday about not providing a better example herself. She often left her young children alone to go drinking, she told Berger.

“Not a good one,” she said when her daughter’s attorney asked her what kind of mother she had been. Both mother and daughter were crying.

As Lisa Croslin passed her daughter on the way to her seat, Misty mouthed, “I love you.”

Her father also is in the Putnam jail on drug charges.

http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2010-10-08/story/misty-croslin-sentenced-25-years-prison

God I know most dont agree but I do feel sorry for her
I cant help it. Not even one scintilla of a chance or a break did she get since she was born. A functional illiterate with no background training or grounding in any skills to cope with life. Misty Croslin could not "rise above" all of this and live a normal life. She didnt have a chance but maybe in prison she can use the time to learn to read and write and improve herself and realize how it will help to free her if she tells the truth about what happened to Haleigh one day.

When I used the term "free her" above I meant mentally free her not physically.

My compassion flys right out the door everytime I think of Haleighs last moments and how scared she must have been in that alligator infested hell hole.

I hope and pray she was dead before she hit the water.

I know that true about Haleighs last moments but I wonder if a grown Haleigh would have elicted our compassion in the same situation as Misty now is. I cant help thinking about Misty growning up as she did.
Social services if there is such a thing down there certainly failed her too.

Well, if this doesn't sum up Ron's Mother Teresa, I don't know what does. What a lying enabler. I get the feeling she knew of this "crime" prior to the police showing up. You can hear Ron saying something about calling someone else who can do something faster. His mother was - of all things - a 911 operator for Alchua County, and she showed up at Ron's w/in about 15 min after he made that call. She lived a good 30 min. away.

And NOW, she is saying this:

Cummings’ mother, Teresa Neves, attended the hearing and agreed with the sentence.

“It came down to she got what she deserved,” she said.

Neves said she believes Croslin has the key to what happened to Haleigh.

“She needs to stay there until she tells what happened to Haleigh,” she said.

All of them are liars. I at least give Mother Croslin kudo's for standing up and saying the truth; that she was a lousy mother who cared more about her drugs and drink than she did Misty and would leave her alone to go out and party. (Paraphrasing).

And, I do in a way..feel empathy..Not sympathy..for Misty. As Artgal said, she didn't really have a chance in hell. I bet Ron looked like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow to her rather than how she had lived for 16 years. IMHO, Ron knew she came from nothing and took advantage of her. In every way possible.

Do I think she should have gotten 25 years for this one drug charge with no priors? NO. Do I think they w/throw the book at her on the 19th in Putnum County? YES.

Do I also agree with Jeanne? Oh, hail yes!!

Yes wrap, its terrible because we can feel for the children they all were, like Haleigh still innocent. But the state now takes Mistys life doesn it - not her death but her life, at least for the next 15 to 20 years. So Misty managed to escape death as a child, but now faces her living death in jail as an adult. We are failing the children.

I sincerely hope that Misty learns how to read and write and in general, Better herself in prison.

Guaranteed, she will be infamous there and some will side with her and other's will knock her lights out. It will be survival of the fittest.

And Yes, I completely agree. We have and are failing our children. And, I often DO wonder about Haleigh had she lived. How would she have ended up? Like Misty? Would Ron have given HaLeigh drug dealing lessons? Seriously.

And where has GGMA Sykes been lately? She w/be dead and gone by the time her Ronnie boy gets out of prision. And, didn't SHE (NOT Mother Teresa) raise Ron? Why?