Ronald Cummings, Misty Croslin and Hank Croslin Arrested On Drug Trafficking Charges

OFF TOPIC:

REPORTS ARE THAT JORAN VAN DER SLOOT HAS BEEN APPREHENDED IN CHILE

kh

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100603/ARTICLES/100609846/1118?Title=Misty-Croslin-trial-set-for-Aug-23

..... 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. (That's a minimum 3-1/2 years, but it could be more)

The attorney puts his spin on things: "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. (which was all total BS and they know it) 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......

kh

IMO, Tommy pled no centest because he's scared shitless that he'll get the max time like Hope did. And he SHOULD be.

FystyAngel wrote:IMO, Tommy pled no centest because he's scared shitless that he'll get the max time like Hope did. And he SHOULD be.

Yes, but doesn't he remember that Hope also pled no contest and got the book thrown at her??? kh

He's a "family man"...(sigh) I think he's hoping that they won't go so hard on him.

I have tried to refrain from posting too much on this whole "drug case". My reasons are that I have seen what drugs can do to a person. I, personally, hope they throw the book at ever single one of them. I hope they each get the max time for each and every count. None of this is going to help HaLeigh (IMO) and I think a no tolerance on these drug charges is in order.

We all see that Misty & Ron are both guilty as sin. The tapes are out there. I don't think I've seen any of Tommy, so I'll refrain from commenting on his case, except to say, he too, if guilty, should have the book thrown at him. Especially him as he has children.

Ron shouldn't be able to plea anything as he as children too. Do these crazy people not realize that it's people like them that are killing our children by selling drugs to ANYONE? It's my opinion that drugs is a huge factor in what happens to our kids today.

Maybe some of the others in Satsuma will get the message if the book IS thrown at these creatures.

Ok...I've blown off a little steam. I'll go back to keeping my mouth shut. (Hahaha...like THAT is gonna happen for long)

Hi FystyAngel, I do agree what your saying far as the drug deals and kids. Problem i'm seeing is thinking people who do these kinds of things more need help then to be incarcerated. If they were "all" first offenders with drugs and the help didn't help them, then yes, I highly agree the book should be thrown at them all. I think everyone deserves a chance and maybe I'm being too soft but sometimes Jail isn't always the answer. jmho.

This is wierd:

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

Misty Croslin's drug trials set for same day St. Augustine and Palatka

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.

Croslin gets August trial date
Media circus surrounds brief appearance in court

By RICHARD PRIOR
Posted: June 9, 2010 - 12:07am

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.

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

"......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....."

Great writing. SAD story! So sad. kh

Me too AW. While I in no way condone their lifestyle choices and can't help but feel that something was bound to go very, very wrong as they continued to live that lifestyle, I am really shifting over to the idea (hold on to your seatbelt! We're gonna agree in a minute!) that LE did just that. They thought that by lawfully (unlawfully?) stinging them in the drug trafficking and throwing them all in jail, the truth would come out about Haleigh. It has not. For them to say that these drug arrests are "completely separate" and have "nothing to do with missing Haleigh Cummings" is disingenuous at best. I am very disappointed in LE right now. I think they blew it bigtime on this one.

kh

We all live with a certain level of dysfunction. We may or may not choose to recognize it, but we do. These kids were on a crash course toward disaster. But are they responsible for Haleigh's disappearance? They may have been irresponsible...... they have have pushed their luck way past any reasonable odds...... but I just wonder if someone didn't wander in, snatch Haleigh and leave with her (no one called foul on the Smart's when that happened to them). I really do wonder................ kh

Hi AJ, here's something I thought was rather interesting. I was watching a show on polygraph testing and it was stated that if the person taking the test is on drugs... then the results are going to come out inaccurate or inconclusive. with that said, we know misty was a drug user so maybe.. just maybe this is why her testing wasn't good.

Far as LE, I do agree with you when it comes to them. If this case never got any news attention... all would be walking free and Haleigh not known about at all. LE to me, are trying to make a name for themselves and yet, due to their "lack of" crap.. I think they are hanging themselves slowly.

far as Misty, I think we can just say we don't agree but that's ok. I don't even think Misty knows what's important anymore.

Just wanted to comment about her appearance lately and to say what the hell happened to her. She looks down right bitter with alot of weight gain. Just shocked me is all to see a huge difference in a short amount of time.

What ever happened to poor little Haleigh.. sometimes I get the feeling we will never even know. Where ever she is at, with someone else or far above us.. I pray the little girl is happy. Its the not knowing that angers me greatly as I'm sure it does to so many people. No child deserves/d any of this!!

Misty did admit to her three day party binge prior to the night haleigh disappeared and the drugs weren't just marijuana. Misty claimed to be very tired due to partying as well in some of the interviews I had seen her in. Nay Nay admitted to the partying going on and so did white boy greg.. so with all of that said, I can't see anyone fit to care for any child under those circumstances alone even though it was days later. Misty didn't even want to care for the children that night so its got to say something as to how she was feeling.

I just can't dismiss Misty entirely. I'm sure if LE felt the case was going to turn out in the manor it did, Misty probably would have been made to be subject to drug testing at the time but its a day late and a dollar short.

Just a quick PS: I have never heard LE make one single comment as to whether Misty, or any of them, 'passed' or 'failed' a lie detector test. This has been widely reported, but I have never heard LE make a public statement about that one way or the other. kh

Haleigh Cummings – Another Side Show Starts

Posted on June 14th, 2010 by Simon Barrett

What is interesting in following the Haleigh Cummings case is how the net casts wider and wider with each passing week. The little girl is still missing, and the PCSO have declared the case a homicide. The three most likely suspects sit behind bars, father Ronald Cummings, his girlfriend/baby sitter/wife/ex wife Misty Croslin and her brother Tommy Croslin. None face charges related to the disappearance or suspected murder of Haleigh Cummings, but rather they face decades behind bars for charges related to drug trafficking.

We received some information today that we have been trying all day to verify. No one seems to want to step up to the plate, but no one is denying the story.

Charles (Chuck) Ingram is a bail bondsman in Palatka. His involvement in the Haleigh Cummings case is on the periphery, his company posted bail for many of the ancillary players in the case. His company was also the one that handed over the Snodgrass file to William Cobra Staubs, a file that created havoc for Cobra. He is still trying to dig his way out.

Chuck Ingram is no friend of Cobra’s, last October Cobra issued a written statement which in part says:

Now to understand the motives behind this, we must look at the accusers, for lack of the proper words to call them. The first is the office of Chucks Bail bonds where sits most of the time, convicted sexual predator Chuck Ingram with his wife and writing agent dale Ingram. We shot a good deal of film on them and they know what will happen if that film reaches the State of Florida.

The news on the street is that today Chuck Ingram was picked up under federal gun charges. As I said, we have no official verification, but I have not found a single source to refute the statement. We are hoping to have documentary proof early tomorrow morning.

Stay tuned, this case gets stranger and stranger.

UPDATE: 11:00am - http://www.bloggernews.net/124715

Simon Barrett

http://www.bloggernews.net/124711

It seems to me that the Palatka police can get everyone in jail except who ever harmed Haleigh! kh

PS: I have no sympathy for Cobra, nor do I necessarily believe a word he says.

Misty's brother moved to Palatka jail

Last Update: 6/23 10:15 pm

JACKSONVILLE, Fla -- A man near the heart of recent searches for Haleigh Cummings has been moved from a cell in St. Johns County to the Putnam County Jail.

Hank Croslin, Misty Cummings' brother, was checked into the Palatka facility after 7:00 Wednesday night.

It was Croslin's tip that sparked a recent search in Welaka for Haleigh Cummings.

He's awaiting a hearing after pleading no contest to drug charges. Officials confirm he is in the Putnam Jail but have not said why the move was made.

http://www.fox30jax.com/content/actionlocal/story/Mistys-brother-moved-to-Palatka-jail/I4HHpvFynU2MET5ZWo4J-A.cspx

Maybe they moved Tommy back to Palatka so it would be easier for his father and mother to visit him, since they don't have his wife to drive them any more, and his mom can't leave the county.

They still won't be able to visit Misty though. I guess they are still trying to 'break' her.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/topstories/news-article.aspx?storyid=158126&catid=3

Attorney: Tommy Croslin Being Mistreated in Putnam Jail

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. -- The attorney for Hank "Tommy" Croslin Jr. has filed a motion saying his client is being mistreated in jail.

Attorney James Werter said Croslin, who is being held on drug charges but is a notable figure in the search for Haleigh Cummings, was taken out of protective custody last week and that his situation deteriorated.

In a motion for Order to Show Cause and Order of Prohibition Request for Expedited Hearing filed with the State Attorney's office and delivered to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, Werter said Croslin's new accommodation in the Putnam County Correctional Facility has "inadequate ventilation" and "defective plumbing."

Werter's motion also stated that Croslin was forcibly removed from his cell and denied access to his attorney by detectives who harassed and threatened Croslin.

READ THE COMPLETE MOTION: http://download.gannett.edgesuite.net/wtlv/docs/070110_croslin.pdf

According to the motion, the detectives said they would charge Croslin with felony murder in the Haleigh Cummings case if he didn't talk, and said they would spread rumors about him to the general population at the jail.

Werter called those "obvious violations" of Croslin's civil rights, and called for the detectives to be held in contempt.

He also wanted the court to establish that detectives could not have contact with Croslin unless it was previously established in writing with Werter.

In court in early June, pretrial hearing, Croslin pleaded no contest to one count of possession, a third degree felony, and to one count of trafficking in hydrocodone, a first degree felony.

His next court date is July 6. His sentencing date has not been set.

AW~ I feel ya. What a tragic mess. And still no Haleigh. It's hard to believe how this case has gone so badly off course and grown so cold. kh

And the hits just keep on cumming coming:

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

Tommy Croslin denied an attorney in jail interrogation, lawyer says he was questioned after a transfer to Putnam County jail.

Posted: July 1, 2010 - 12:36pm
By Kate Howard

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.

Yes, I truly hope the Kyron case doesn't go the same way. I was suprised when a month (then 2,3,4, and on and on) went by and no Haleigh. Now it's a month for Kyron and all we have is wierdness, no Kyron. kh

Soooo, oh Hi all, sorry for the delay yet again! computer issues but got a new one finally!! yip yip.... yesterday was my one year anniversary since I broke my hip! and to think the summer is all mine.. I will not take that for granted.

ok, back to the subject.

I do not think its right that Tommy gets mistreated just because he's behind bars. Especially if its not from another inmate... not that its fair that way either but come on!!! If it were Tommy to have killed Haleigh I'd keep my mouth shut there and turn a blind eye but I don't think Tommy knows what happened only because its been him all along to make up stories to where misty's were just a bit off.

btw AJ- again, we don't agree here but here's just a thought for you. Just a thought.. Its looking like Casey Anthony really did have something to do with Caylee and all along she's held her tongue saying all she knows.. and she's told many stories to save her ass.. not that misty has.. but to me, misty is hiding something totally different.. won't repeat myself there but anyway, if a person does something very bad, like hurt a child, kill a child, help with a crime when it comes to a child.. hell no are they going to talk and yet you keep thinking if any of the ones behind jail knew something, they would talk right now ( by now). Well, the way I see that and always will until the truth be told, is to think one of them does have something to hide to where if they did talk, only greater charges would be handed down. I will always think when it comes to misty, her hiding things comes down to leaving the trailer and coming back only to find haleigh missing. If misty were to come forward with that right now even if it were the truth, things would not go lighter on her only because she didn't say all this from the get go and didn't want the love of her life Ron to pull a terminator on her on top of losing him totally and permanently even though it turned out that way later on. In other words, Misty would be held accountable for what ever happened to Haleigh if in fact she did leave only because at the time, it would show she was the care giver to the child while ron was away.

Step mothers, not all of them... get a bad rap when things go bad for a reason.. I had a feeling the step mom to Kyron looked guilty as sin the moment they showed her hugging her husband.. guilt was written all over her face and now.. as suspected, she hired a hit man to off her husband.. gee, what a surprise there?? NOT!!!

aside it all, I wished for the love of God someone would bring some kind of closure in the haleigh case!! I kinda wish too... that Joran Vandersloot wasn't getting the media attention he is right now and more would be focused on these missing kids!! and the Media hates the fact that Joran could make off with 1 million by selling his story behind bars??!! STOP AIRING THE SLOOT!!

hope all is well =)

Tommy is in court tomorrow and Ronald will be on 07/19? What about Misty and Donna? Anyone know their court dates? Thanks. kh

Here is the latest info I found on Misty, looks like she has till mid August to come up with something.

Trial set for Misty Croslin, Haleigh Cummings' former stepmother, on 7 drug charges
To escape longer prison time, she could assist detectives in Haleigh’s case.

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

I think Donna Brock got in way over her head really thinking she would find information about Misty only to lead her right in the slammer. Its really too bad Donna wasn't smart enough not to be involved. Was it for fame I wonder or did she really want to help out? I have no idea myself.

Sentencing Continued For Hank Croslin
Croslin Pleaded No Contest To Trafficking Hydrocodone

POSTED: 6:30 am EDT July 6, 2010
UPDATED: 10:37 am EDT July 6, 2010

WINTER PARK, Fla. -- The sentencing for Hank "Tommy" Croslin was continued Tuesday morning.

Croslin was slated to be sentenced on unrelated drug charges.

Croslin was moved from the Saint John’s County Jail to the Putnam County jail last week.

Croslin pleaded no contest in April to trafficking hydrocodone.

His sister, Misty Croslin, was baby-sitting Haleigh Cummings when she disappeared last year.

She’s also being held on drug trafficking charges.

http://www.wesh.com/news/24153296/detail.html

Hi butterfly64, good to see you! I'm glad to hear you got a new computer

So are they not sentencing Tommy today?

I think these Croslin kids got their drug addiction from mom and dad. Maybe they should also put the parents in jail for a couple of decades. Dad would get his surgery that he needs and cannot afford and mom will get off her drugs, which I haven't heard a reason why she takes them. I don't think she has any severe pain, she just takes the pills because they are available.

Site~ Mom and dad are both addicts and both probably goin to jail too. Unfortunately, the myth that one can kick the drug habit in jail is just that- a myth. Inmates routinely trade in drugs while incarcerated. kh

Tommy Croslin not harassed by detectives

July 13, 1:51 PM
Nashville Crime Examiner
Levi Page

CNNA judge in Putnam County Florida has ruled that Tommy Croslin was not harassed or threatened by Putnam County detectives, who he claimed were questioning him without his attorney present in regards to the Haleigh Cummings case.

Croslin claimed that not only did cops question him without his attorney present, but that they made threats to spread rumors about him to other inmates and that his cell didn't have proper plumbing or ventilation.

(the rest of this is blah, blah, blah..... a rehash)...

Tommy Croslin is currently in jail awaiting his sentencing on drug trafficking charges after he plead no contest. His sentencing is scheduled to take place on August 2nd.

Tommy Croslin is the brother of Misty Croslin who is also jailed awaiting trial on drug trafficking charges. Misty Croslin is the last one to see Haleigh alive.

Tommy Croslin put himself at the trailer, where Haleigh vanished, the night she vanished. Croslin claims Ronald Cummings, the father of Haleigh and boyfriend of his sister called him to check on Misty and the children. He went to the trailer and claimed nobody was home.

Croslin then failed a polygraph, the details of the polygraph have not been released. Croslin then changed his story and said that Haleigh died inside the trailer at the hands of his cousin from Tennessee, Joe Overstreet.

Misty Croslin later went on to say she didn't know whether Overstreet was involved or not, but that she had a dream that he was involved.

We will stay on the Haleigh Cummings case and continue to follow the developments of the key players as they make their way through the Florida legal system.

http://www.examiner.com/x-33505-Nashville-Crime-Examiner~y2010m7d13-Haleigh-Cummings-update-Tommy-Croslin-not-harassed-by-detectives

kh

Consider the source, AW. This is the same guy that reported Gma Flora's house was surrounded by cops in a raid to arrest Cousin Joe. I believe he cited his source as someone 'close to the case' in Santsuma who was looking out their window and watching the whole thing unfold........ apparently, this witness could see all the way from Florida to Tenessee! kh

AJ? IZ THAT YOU? I MEAN REALLY YOU? OR IZ IT SOMEONE ELSE PRETENDING TO BE YOU? OR ARE YOU PRETENDING TO BE AJ? LOL----------- just yankin her chain! Glad to see you back, avatar and all!!! kh

Basically, the judge said that the investigators didn't do what Tommy and his lawyer said they were doing but told them not to do it again. kh

Croslin Can't Be Questioned Without Lawyer

Croslin Says Detectives Threatened Him If He Didn't Cooperate In Haleigh Cummings Case

POSTED: Tuesday, July 13, 2010
UPDATED: 4:52 pm EDT July 13, 2010

Hank Croslin Jr. pleads no contest to two charges of drug possession.

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. -- The Putnam County Sheriff's Office has agreed to not question Hank Croslin Jr. about the Haleigh Cummings case unless his lawyer is present.
Croslin's lawyer had gone to court saying he was being mistreated and threatened with charges if he didn't cooperate.

Croslin is waiting to learn his sentence on drug charges.

Croslin's lawyer filed the motion claiming mistreatment and asking that he be moved out of the Putnam County Jail.

A judge dismissed the motion, saying Croslin is not being harassed and that detectives have the right to question him.
Croslin is the brother of Misty Cummings, the last person known to have seen 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings before she disappeared last year.

Croslin's sentencing on drug charges is set for Aug. 2.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/24242370/detail.html

Ron's drug trial is listed as starting tomorrow according the the Putnam County Court Docket. I'm sure it will be in the news if there isn't some kind of last minute delay.

Thanks J4A, appreciate the reminder. It will be interesting to see what's going to happen.

Will we be able to watch it on line?

I don't think any of the drug hearings in this case have been online. I don't think the trial will be either, but if anybody finds a link, please post it.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=159949&catid=412

Ronald Cummings Drug Trial Scheduled for Today

PALATKA, Fla. -- Ronald Cummings, the father of missing girl Haleigh, is slated to start his trial on drug charges Monday.

He faces five felony counts related to drug trafficking.

His lawyer told First Coast News in May they were trying to arrange a plea deal that would involve Cummings pleading guilty to two charges for a reduce sentence.

But a final decision on that arrangement never surfaced, so his trial is expected to start later today at the Putnam County courthouse.

I'm lookin for a link.
kh

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=58564824001#/Firstcoastnews.com+Live+Video/58564824001

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

These are live feeds from the local news stations there, but I don't know if they're covering it. I am hearing that JAX will start broadcasting it after jury selection though.

kh

Does anybody know what the heck went on at BNN yesterday?


Jan Barrett July 18th, 2010 at 1:44 pm said,

After reading all the ruckus in here for the past few days we have decided to shut down all the comments again. You people that are always accusing someone else of being someone they are not and those that are wanting to make this into a popularity contest seem to have forgotten just what we are all here for and that is for finding Haleigh. We have NOT opened our comments for anyone to compete with anyone else for popularity and not for anyone to complain about someone else being more popular.

I have tried and tried to stop all this. Regardless what any of you think I am NOT showing partiality in here. I like everyone and I do not show favorites. But I can only take so much of the bickering.

For those of you that are really here to try and figure out what happened to Haleigh, I truly apologize that you are having to pay for the others mistakes.

All I can say to ALL those that want to see BNN shut down, it is not going to happen no matter how much you want it to. All that is going to happen is that you will no longer be given our comment section to use to do your dirty work.

We do have a forum that can be used to those that wish to discuss the case but I am not going to be pulled with this anymore. I really resent all that have forced me to do this because it hurts me deeply to make the good pay for the bad as well.

And btw… NO ONE got OJ’s glove banned but himself. I am tired of everyone else being blamed but the people responsible. I know you know who you are, that have also gotten others banned as well. I hope you are proud of yourselves.

BNN will not stop covering these cases regardless. We have vowed not to give up and we won’t. I am only sorry that those that claim to really care about her have let her down by fighting and some only treating this like a popularity contest.

If anyone wants to join the forum, please use the name you used in here so I will know who you are. I personally will be approving of anyone joining in. If you are new to it, then be sure to use a legitimate email address or you won’t get in. And no spoofed IP’s will be allowed in either, that we catch.

God bless all of you that put Haleigh first above all this mess in here. BNN is not looking for popularity, we only want this little girl found without all the BS some of you keep bringing in here.

Thank you to those that have truly supported BNN.

Jan Barrett - BNN Editor

http://www.bloggernews.net/124926

NO TRIAL TODAY! NO TRIAL TODAY! NO TRIAL TODAY! NO TRIAL TODAY!

Ronald Cummings Gets Extra Time To Plead
Father Of Missing Haleigh Cummings Remains Held On Drug Trafficking Charges

POSTED: Monday, July 19, 2010
UPDATED: 9:55 am EDT July 19, 2010

http://www.news4jax.com/news/24307123/detail.html

Ronald and Misty Cummings appear in a series of undercover videos that investigators say show multiple drug deals.
PALATKA, Fla. -- Ronald Cummings, the father of kindergartner Haleigh who disappeared more than a year ago and who authorities fear is dead, will be held in jail for another month as his attorneys try and reach a plea agreement with prosecutors on drug trafficking charges.

Prosecutors said they have surveillance videos showing five undercover drug deals involving Cummings.

Cummings was arrested in January and charged with five counts of selling prescription drugs. Authorities said the charges have no connection to the ongoing investigation of Haleigh's disappearance, which they now consider a homicide case.

Cummings' former wife, Misty, her brother and others were also arrested on similar charges. Investigators said Misty Cummings was with Haleigh the February 2009 night the girl disappeared and the last person to see her.

Jury selection for Ronald Cummings' trial was set to begin Monday, but the judge agreed to give attorneys until Aug. 20 to try and reach a plea agreement.

If convicted, Cummings could receive a minimum mandatory sentence of 25 years in prison.

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.



KH

http://www.news4jax.com/news/24307123/detail.html

A tentative plea agreement was reached this morning in the drug trafficking cases of Ronald Cummings, whose daughter Haleigh has been missing for more than a year in a high-profile Putnam County case.


In a seven minute court appearance, Cummings attorney said his client has agreed to offer a plea in three of the five cases. The state may drop the remaining two in the deal.


Cummings, 26, is scheduled to return to court Aug. 20.

http://photos.jacksonville.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?image=30627948&event=1043077&CategoryID=9088&picnum=41&move=F&Slideshow=Stop#Image

PHOTO IMAGES FROM COURT TODAY kh

That was nice for the Judge to grant a postponement til August 20...Now let's not forget to mark our calendars...Wonder what kind of a plea will be worked out????

Cummings plea deal takes shape

By Kristin Chambers
Published: Tuesday, July 20, 2010 1:28 AM EDT

Ronald Cummings sat silently Monday morning in a Putnam County courtroom as his attorney discussed a potential plea bargain in the drug case that landed the Satsuma man in jail months ago.

Cummings is widely known as the father of 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings, who vanished in February 2009.

Although not considered a suspect in his daughter's disappearance, Cummings and four others were arrested in January on charges of trafficking in prescription drugs. Authorities released videos of several undercover transactions.

On Monday, officials discussed a plea agreement to drop two of the five trafficking charges faced by the 26-year-old.

Cummings will plead guilty to three other drug trafficking charges, his attorney said.

"He would plead to the three lesser charges," defense Terry Shoemaker said after Monday's hearing in Palatka. "And part of the plea agreement is that he would plead guilty."

Shoemaker is hoping Cummings will only receive 15 years after the plea deal is made with the state, with the two higher charges - which would mandate a 25-year minimum sentence - dropped.

That would happen Shoemaker said, in exchange "for giving all information he has regarding everything and anything they ask him."

Shoemaker could not specify what that would entail, but he said that it would encompass, "everything that is pending throughout the whole year and a half."

Cummings would also give "substantial assistance" in the narcotics case, and depending on the state's needs, testify against 18-year-old Misty Croslin if she goes to trial on the drug charges.

Croslin was babysitting Haleigh when the child disappeared from her Satsuma home. No sign of the blonde-haired kindergartner has been located despite massive searches on land and water.

The case remains an on-going investigation since it was deemed a homicide in April, with investigators repeating that Croslin is the key to the solving the case.

Croslin faces eight counts of trafficking following the narcotics investigation, with the last chance to take a negotiated plea Aug. 16.

Her brother Hank Croslin Jr., 23, pleaded no contest to two counts of trafficking and faces up to 30 years, while 18-year-old Hope Sykes, Cummings' cousin, has received 15-years for one count of trafficking in hydrocodone.

Despite the case being labeled a homicide, the Cummings family still holds hope that Haleigh is alive.

"If you don't have some sort of proof to show me that my great-granddaughter is no longer alive, then don't expect me to just take your word for it," Annette Sykes, Haleigh's great-grandmother, said Monday following the hearing. "We are looking for a live little girl."

Sykes also believes Croslin has information to Haleigh's whereabouts.

"I'm sure she knows something.There has been so many lies told one after another and you don't know what to believe anymore - it is just unreal," Sykes said.

Shoemaker alluded that Cummings may hold similar feelings about the case.

"I think that he believes that law enforcement is heading down the right track," Shoemaker said. "Who all is involved, he doesn't know."

Cummings' family and the mother and father of Croslin were in attendance Monday at the hearing conducted by Circuit Judge Terry LaRue.

LaRue set the plea date for Cummings for Aug. 20 at 11 a.m.

"We would just like to get it settled but we want what's best for Ronald," Sykes said. "I hope they get something worked out."

Teresa Neves, Cummings' mother, added that "he's doing the best he can."

"He doesn't know where Haleigh is and that's the number one thing on his mind," she said.

Neves said she is taking events one day at a time.

"This is a very hard thing," she said. "It's hard to lose your granddaughter and then to look at this for your son."

http://www.palatkadailynews.com/articles/2010/07/20/news/news01.txt

Very true. Posters who question the veracity of the evidence against Terri (which, as far as I know is none-) are accused of being the evil stepmom herself. And I quit posting at BNN when they thought I was Crystal Sheffield AND Cousin Joe both at the same time! Another room thought I was Kim Picasso. LOL. It's a very strange phenom. And it chaps my you know what.

I used to consider BNN a great resource for up-to-date info- but I don't think BNN is at all impartial any longer considering their blogradio line up of stars every Sunday now and who they all admire so much and hold in such great esteem. But that's just me......

kh