Haleigh Marie Cummings #37 5/24/10 - 7/15/10

[GramaMonkey]

How come Misty and the others have to go to court in their jail clothes, but somebody, who I won't name here, gets to wear her own purty clothes to court? 

That's a darn good question.  Little hussy gets to wear street clothes during court appearances, while these folks don't.  Makes you wonder.

On top of it they are about a size or two tooooo small.

[seahorse]

Thanks for all the updates Heart. Misty really has let herself go  LOL

Hi No Rose & Monkey's,

Could she be taking birth control pills to control cramps?

My friend gained weight due "the Pill" (water gain).


 

[no rose colored glasses]

Thanks for all the updates Heart. Misty really has let herself go  LOL

Hi No Rose & Monkey's,

Could she be taking birth control pills to control cramps?

My friend gained weight due "the Pill" (water gain).


 

Hi, yes that is possible but I'm going with too many honey buns, and junk food, and no drugs.

[Heart]

How come Misty and the others have to go to court in their jail clothes, but somebody, who I won't name here, gets to wear her own purty clothes to court? 

Does CA supply CA with clothes and perhaps LC does not have sense enough, time, transportation to?

[Heart]

Brother pleads no contest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He will be sentenced in July.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Jerseygirl345]

Pics of Hank and Misty Croslin in Court

http://photos.jacksonville.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?image=29859920&event=1017251&CategoryID=9088&picnum=25&move=F&Slideshow=Stop#Image

Caption: BOB SELF/The Times-Union--6/3/10--Misty Croslin is led into the courtroom of Judge Terry LaRue by a Putnam Co. Deputy Thursday morning. Hank "Tommy" Croslin Jr. and his sister Misty Croslin both made apperances before Judge Terry LaRue in his courtroom in the Putnam County Courthouse in Palatka Thursday morning. Hank Croslin pleaded no contest to trafficking and drug possession and will be sentenced later this summer. Misty Croslin had an August trial date set for her drug charges in Putnam County. (The Florida Times-Union, Bob Self) Album ID: 1017251 Photo ID: 29859920

My, oh my....I was stunned when I first looked at those baseball-sized cheeks on Miss Misty!

She's got that same thing going on as Ron does...gaining weight.

Didn't we learn that some of the drugs that are given to addicts to wean them off drugs actually cause the body to swell some....wonder if this is what's going on with Misty??

Through experience with my son weaning them off of drugs can cause weight gain but alot of the anti-depressants can cause weight gain and / or water retention.

[GramaMonkey]

This is Ron's court update. Notice in the first posting the dates of July ... Notice in the second posting ..those dates have been REMOVED. Think this is something to do with the change of date for Misty's trial???

2010-05-06 34 RELEASE ON BAIL (NEBBIA HEARING)
2010-05-07 35 NOTICE OF CANCELLATION OF HEARING (FAX)(BOND HEARING)
2010-05-10 36 NOTICE OF CANCELLATION OF HEARING(FAX)(NEBBIA HEARING)
2010-05-10 37 NOTICE OF CANCELLATION OF HEARING (ORIGINAL)(NEBBIA)
2010-05-10 38 NOTICE OF CANCELLATION OF HEARING (ORIGINAL)(BOND)
2010-05-13 39 PRE TRIAL MINUTES: DEFT PRES, ATT BY TERRY J SHOEMAKER
2010-05-13 39 STATE AND DEFENSE ANNOUNCED READY FOR TRIAL
2010-05-13 39 CASE SET FOR JURY TRIAL 07/19/2010
2010-05-13 40 ORDER SETTING TRIAL DATE 07/19/2010 AND LAST CHANCE
2010-05-13 40 PLEA DAY 07/09/2010
2010-05-21 41 NOTICE TO DEFENDANT (07-19-2010) IN JAIL
2010-05-21 42 NOTICE TO ATTORNEY (07-19-2010)


2010-05-06 28 OF BAIL PREMIUM AND COLLATERAL PRIOR TO DEFENDANT'S

2010-05-06 28 RELEASE ON BAIL (NEBBIA HEARING)

2010-05-28 29 LETTER FROM ANNETTE SYKES

[Heart]

Misty Croslin gets deal deadline

Posted: June 4, 2010 - 12:16am
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 that some say give prosecutors undue control over cases because of a judge's limited discretion to waiver.

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.

On 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 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 sentences 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's bar is enough to mandate a 25-year sentence, she 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," she 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 Misty Croslin 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://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2010-06-04/misty-croslin-gets-deal-deadline

[Heart]

Thanks for  the docket update GramaMonkey!

[Jerseygirl345]

Copy of  Felony Warrants for Ronald Cummings, Misty Cummings Croslin, Tommy Croslin, Donna Brock and Hope Sykes...


http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/01/27/felony.arrest.warrants.pdf

[Jerseygirl345]

The trial date for Misty Croslin has been set, while Tommy pleaded no contest to two drug charges in court Thursday morning.


Misty Croslin will stand trial on August 23rd, on seven drug charges in Putnam County.

Tommy Croslin was also in court Thursday morning in Palatka. He entered a no-contest pleas to charges of trafficking in hydrocodone and possession of hydrocodone.

Tommy’s lawyer says that “He wants to get this behind him and move on”. While he is entitled to his opinion, I would say that Tommy is more likely to be throwing the rest of his life away. Perhaps Tommy has a deal; perhaps NOT. But it looks like to me that Tommy will be sentenced before Misty even goes to trial. Nor, was any body ever recovered from Shell Harbour. He is facing a minimum sentence of three years behind bars, but the sentence could go as high as 30 years. Need I point out that Tommy has been mighty cocky on his jailhouse videos that 3 years in prison would be absolutely nothing for him. Knowing what has happened to Hope Sykes, I would expect his sentence to be more like 15 years. It appears to me at the very least that the old boy did help cover up the murder of Haleigh Cummings for the better part of a year, after all.

Tommy could have requested a jury trial whose decision and sentence would have been appealable. Further, the judge can always override the sentence imposed by a jury. Hank, Jr must be a gambler because he is basically playing Russian Roulette over whether the judge is going to do him dirty. From what I have seen, justice in Putnam County does NOT really care about people doing the right thing however late. With an entrapment defense and the right jury, Tommy could have even walked. So I ask you. Is Tommy Croslin nuts?

http://johnhgohdecommentator.wordpress.com/2010/06/04/tommy-croslin-nuts/

[seahorse]

Thanks for all the updates Heart. Misty really has let herself go  LOL

Hi No Rose & Monkey's,

Could she be taking birth control pills to control cramps?

My friend gained weight due "the Pill" (water gain).


 

Hi, yes that is possible but I'm going with too many honey buns, and junk food, and no drugs.

[Curly]

LOL! I was just kidding!

[GramaMonkey]

Thanks for  the docket update GramaMonkey!

Your welcome Heart. I just find it strange that they would have deleted the previous entries ... so wonder if Ron's case is going to be delayed until after Misty's case is finalized.   I was so hoping that the prosecution would call Misty to testify against Ron ... tit for tat.

[Brandi]

How come Misty and the others have to go to court in their jail clothes, but somebody, who I won't name here, gets to wear her own purty clothes to court? 

That's a darn good question.  Little hussy gets to wear street clothes during court appearances, while these folks don't.  Makes you wonder.

On top of it they are about a size or two tooooo small.

I think they fit fine when they were issued to them. lol

[Patricia Mocha Latte]

Good afternoon everyone.
I recall back when there was discussion about genealogy and IIRC Seahorse had found the link to Annette Sykes' Husband's funeral service notice.
Annette Sykes' maiden name is Stallings correct?
Isn't there a Stallings couple who live up a ways from the dock search site who have a dock on their property also that are relatives of AS? Her Brother and Sil I do believe. River road or drive isn't it?
Curious.

[GramaMonkey]

How come Misty and the others have to go to court in their jail clothes, but somebody, who I won't name here, gets to wear her own purty clothes to court? 

That's a darn good question.  Little hussy gets to wear street clothes during court appearances, while these folks don't.  Makes you wonder.

On top of it they are about a size or two tooooo small.

I think they fit fine when they were issued to them. lol

Brandi ~  My comment was in reference to Casey Anthony's street clothing being worn in the court room.

[Patricia Mocha Latte]

There is also a detective named Chris Stallings in Putnam county. I remember reading that one day. Anyway, I wonder if he is relative to AS also or?

[ZooMomology]

How come Misty and the others have to go to court in their jail clothes, but somebody, who I won't name here, gets to wear her own purty clothes to court? 

That's a darn good question.  Little hussy gets to wear street clothes during court appearances, while these folks don't.  Makes you wonder.

Yup, and they are in the same state, granted different jails, but come on.   What is good for one is good for the other.  I guess her case is more in the news so she gets special treatment or maybe Misty's and everybody's lawyers did not put in a motion for them to wear their sunday best. 

[Heart]

Art Harris Says:
June 4th, 2010 at 2:03 am

Spiked:

LE has kept relentless pressure on the Croslins, including the parents, to squeeze Misty and Tommy like a vise, and it worked. It’s unclear if the state attorney has enough to indict in Haleigh’s murder, but they are working hard at it. And in working it, there’s been Croslin collateral damage, including small-time transgressions that have taken Hank Sr, and Misty’s mother, Lisa, to their knees, locked out of jobs and ostracized in Palatka. But from talks with Hank Sr, he sounds much better, grateful a local Pentacostal minister with a tiny church and a giant heart has rented him a room and served up extra spiritual helpings that helped deflate his suicidal feelings and instill some hope.

On Thursday, he showed up in court and told both his children that he loved them as Misty and Tommy passed him in the courthouse, where Tommy plead no contest to drug charges and Misty’s trial date on her drug charges was set for Aug. 23.
“I love, you, Misty,” he told her as she walked past.
“I love you too, Daddy,” she said.

more...
http://www.artharris.com/2010/05/28/exclusive-wrong-dock-searched-for-haleigh-body/#more-4390

Art Harris mentions that Hank called him on yesterday.

“Tore me up to see them in shackles,” he told The Bald Truth, phoning me after court to share his feelings.

Thats funny after hearing Hank Sr warning others about AH.