Misty Croslin's Attorney Tells Bounty Hunter to Back Off

I thought this deserved it's own thread, at least for now....

Misty Croslin's Attorney Tells Bounty Hunter to Back Off
Updated: 2/18/2010 9:01:14 PM

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. -- Misty Croslin pleaded not guilty to all seven drug charges brought against her today in court.

Robert Fields, her attorney, requested a jury trial. A pretrial hearing is set for March.

Misty Croslin was arrested with her brother and ex-husband, Ronald Cummings, on drug trafficking charges in January.
Cummings, Haleigh's father, was not in court. His attorney filed not guilty pleas on the drug trafficking charges on Cummings' behalf.

Also today, Misty Croslin's mother, Lisa Croslin, was arrested outside of court on an outstanding grand theft warrant from 2009, just hours before her daughter's appearance.

Croslin's lawyer also has sent a strong warning to Leonard Padilla, a well-known bounty hunter, which First Coast News obtained today.

Padilla is a California-based bounty hunter who has offered to pay Croslin's bail in exchange for information on Haleigh.

The cease-and-desist letter dated Feb. 17 says, "We have been informed that you have purchased a vehicle, cellular phones and other items for Hank and Lisa Croslin. Misty considers this action an unwanted, third-party contact intended to influence her parents to convince her to work with you."

"Of course I'm trying to get to her. I want to get the truth from her. How else does he expect me to create goodwill between me and her?" said Padilla today.

Padilla, who has not received the letter yet, confirmed that he had spent about $3,000 on a car for Hank Croslin Sr. and at least $200 on food and phone time for Misty or her family.

Padilla also said his office bailed Misty's mother, Lisa Croslin, out of jail Thursday for the grand theft charge.

"Misty Croslin has made it clear to me that she does not desire your assistance in this matter. Therefore, she respectfully requests that you cease and desist any further attempts to contact her, either directly or by way of any third party," the letter said.

Wednesday, more jailhouse tapes of conversations between Croslin and her father, Hank Sr., also were released by the St. Johns County Sheriff's Department.

An excerpt:

Hank: "I pray for Haleigh, too."
Misty: "I pray for her too, all day everyday. I'm telling you I do. I miss her so much."
Hank: "Poor little girl. I miss her, too."
Misty: "God is going to bring her home."
Hank: "God is going to bring her home?"
Misty: "God is going to bring her home."
Hank: "Do you think she can come home?"
Misty: "Of course.
Hank: "I hope and pray to God she does."
Misty: "Me too. I can't tell you definitely because you know I cant say 100 percent, but God hasn't given me that sign but I wish I could tell you more.
Hank: "I don't want to know more."

Hope Sykes, one of the five people arrested with Misty, was also arraigned today.

In previous jailhouse tapes released, Misty's brother, Tommy, has also discussed the missing person case of Haleigh.

Haleigh disappeared last February from her Satsuma home while Croslin was babysitting her. She reportedly was the last person seen with Haleigh Cummings, but she's said she doesn't know where the child is.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/mostpopular/news-article.aspx?storyid=152200

I also found this one today. LP needs to just go AWAY!


Croslin faces new drug charges
http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2010-02-19/croslin-faces-new-drug-charges-0
February 19, 2010

PALATKA -- As Misty Croslin stood before a judge in shackles and chains Thursday to face seven drug trafficking charges, a California bounty hunter was offering her a way out of jail in an exchange of information.

In addition to being jailed on drug charges, Croslin, 18, is a central figure in the disappearance of HaLeigh Cummings, a 5-year-old who has been missing from her home in Putnam County for more than a year.

Before Croslin went to her arraignment, the bail that stood between her and freedom was about $1.3 million. In Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, bounty hunter Leonard Padilla said he was willing to pay a bond he estimated at $135,000 to get her out.

The deal has a caveat.

"It's got to bear fruit," he said. "It's got to lead me to HaLeigh."

Padilla is best known in Florida for bailing out Casey Anthony in 2008.

Anthony was charged with killing her young daughter in Central Florida.

Croslin's attorney, Robert Fields, has written Padilla a letter to back off.

Fields said Padilla wants to question Croslin, then decide if he will arrange a bond.

"If he likes the answers, he will bail her out," he said. "It's a license to interrogate."

In conversations with her parents, Croslin has asked that they maintain contact with Padilla, who came to southern Putnam County when HaLeigh disappeared.

Fields said Croslin has changed her mind.

"Hearing his [Padilla's] conditions she doesn't want to do it," he said.

Fields said he would be willing to accept help with her bail if the offer came with no strings attached.

Padilla said he does not believe Croslin was asleep, as she said she was, when HaLeigh disappeared.

"I'm not going to believe that," he said.

Padilla said he also has been helping Croslin's parents and bought a 2001 Ford Taurus for her father, who is not working and says notoriety from HaLeigh's case has kept him from getting a job.

Padilla said he also gave Hank Croslin money to meet expenses.

"I don't believe she's told the cops what happened," Padilla said.

Croslin was arraigned on seven charges of trafficking Thursday and was brought to the courtroom in a blue jail uniform and with cornrows in her hair. Two of the charges were new and could increase the bail. She faces an additional trafficking charge in St. Johns County.

Croslin was charged following an undercover narcotics investigation that ended with five arrests, including her former husband, Ronald Cummings, who is HaLeigh's father.

She was babysitting HaLeigh, and Cummings' son, Ronald Jr., when the 5-year-old girl disappeared just more than a year ago.

Thursday, she conferred quietly with her attorney before Circuit Judge Terry LaRue read the charges to her. She looked somber during the appearance, wearing waist chains and handcuffs. Investigators from HaLeigh's case stood in the back of the courtroom during the hearing.

Hope Sykes, 18, a co-defendant in the drug case, was also arraigned in the Putnam court on one count of trafficking.

Cummings and co-defendants Hank Croslin Jr. and Donna Michelle Brock, 44, skipped arraignment hearings and instead filed written pleas of not guilty and asked for jury trials.

Fields told LaRue he has filed similar not-guilty pleas in the five initial charges facing his client and intends to do so in the remaining two Putnam cases.

In another twist Thursday, Croslin's mother, Lisa, was arrested on a warrant as she left the courthouse following an earlier hearing. The charge stems from an incident at the Palatka Walmart around Christmas, Hank Croslin Sr. said of his wife.

Lisa Croslin is charged with grand theft after a purse was reported stolen to the Palatka Police Department, authorities said. She was released on bail later in the day, according to Putnam County Sheriff's Office jail records.

Misty Croslin's next Putnam County court appearance is March 31.

Investigators who made the arrests on Jan. 20 did so following a monthlong investigation in which undercover officers used vehicles equipped with audio and image recording devices, according to the arrest reports.

One undercover agent bought drugs several times and then offered to sell the pills before the arrests were made. The deals involved a total of 330 pills of oxycodone and hydrocodone at an estimated street value of $3,900.

Misty Croslin faces eight counts of trafficking in prescription drugs, including the single charge in St. Johns County. Her arraignment in that case is March 8.

Ronald Cummings, 26, faces five counts. Croslin's brother, her friend Brock and Sykes, a cousin, each face one count of trafficking.

Following the arrests last month, investigators said they would take the opportunity to question those charged about HaLeigh's case.

Leonard has been telling her parents he believes Misty. From what Lisa said on one of Misty's jailhouse tapes. Lisa said Leonard told them he could see it in Misty's eyes, she didn't have anything to do with it. But someone may have told her something or she's heard something. Lisa also said that Leonard said he would get a different attorney for Misty.