Ex-cop a suspect in felonies
Daily Telegram, The (Adrian, MI)
August 24, 2001
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ADRIAN -- An Adrian police officer being investigated for felony criminal sexual conduct quit the police department this week according to Adrian Police Chief Mike Martin.
Officer Jason Crawford resigned from the department Wednesday, Martin said. Crawford also was under scrutiny as a suspect who fled on his sport motorcycle from police in a Lenawee County Sheriff's Department case, Martin added.
"I was advised recently by the sheriff's department that they were investigating Officer Crawford as a suspect in their fleeing and eluding case involving motorcycles," Martin said.
Sheriff Larry Richardson said Wednesday that investigators had identified the second suspect in an Aug. 13 pursuit with two men riding sport motorcycles. Sheriff's deputies attempted to pull over the motorcycles after observing them driving recklessly on South Main Street near Adrian Mall.
Instead of pulling over, the motorcyclists turned west on U.S. 223 and sped off from the scene at a high rate of speed, according to the sheriff's department. One of the motorcycles, believed to have been driven by Crawford, turned east on Maumee Street while the second motorcycle continued west and turned north on Wolf Creek Highway.
Jason John Serafin, 22 was passing vehicles at the crest of a hill on Hunt Road when his motorcycle crashed head-on into an Adrian Township Police Department patrol car responding to assist sheriff's deputies.
Richardson said felony fleeing and eluding charges would be sought against the second suspect in the case, but declined Wednesday to name who the suspect was until an arrest warrant had been issued by the Lenawee County Prosecutor's office.
Crawford had been on paid administrative leave while Michigan State Police at the Adrian post investigated criminal sexual conduct allegations.
Martin said he learned about the state police investigation about four weeks ago and Crawford was placed on leave then. An internal department investigation was also being conducted when Crawford resigned, Martin said.
Crawford was hired as a patrol officer by the department in January 1998 after moving to the area from Akron, Ohio. He attended Wayne County Regional Police Academy and Adrian College.
Crawford charged with pair of felonies
Daily Telegram, The (Adrian, MI)
August 25, 2001
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ADRIAN -- A former Adrian police officer is facing felony charges for criminal sexual conduct and fleeing and eluding police.
Jason Crawford, 27, was arrested Friday morning by police. He was arraigned Friday afternoon before Lenawee County District Court Judge Natalia Koselka on charges of first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct and fleeing and eluding a police officer.
A cash surety bond of $150,000 was set for Crawford and he was returned to the Lenawee County Jail. Sheriff Larry Richardson said Crawford would be lodged at another county jail for security reasons until he posts bond.
A preliminary examination for Crawford is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday in district court.
Officers from Adrian police, Lenawee County Sheriff's Department and Michigan State Police arrived at Crawford's Adrian residence Friday morning and served the warrants. Adrian Police Chief Mike Martin said Crawford was taken into custody without incident.
Crawford was hired by the city in 1998 and worked as a patrol officer. Martin said there had been no prior discipline problems with Crawford that he was aware of.
"When he resigned from the department Wednesday, he indicated he had some personal problems that he had to deal with," Martin said.
Officers were notified of Crawford's resignation by internal memo.
"It's a sad day for law enforcement in the city," Martin said. "But we pride ourselves in our professionalism and that we will deal effectively with problems when they arise."
Martin said he understands that the public may be concerned with a former officer being charged with serious crimes, but the mistakes of one person should not reflect badly on the rest of the department.
"The public should have confidence that our department doesn't put up with or condone illegal behavior by anyone, including our own officers," Martin said. "We are proud of our department and the well-educated and professional men and women in it. We do a good job day after day to serve and protect the public (and) that is often overlooked."
Crawford was among a group of young officers hired in recent years to replace veteran officers who have retired from the department.
Richardson said Crawford didn't give much explanation for why he fled from sheriff's deputies attempting to pull him over Aug. 13 for reckless driving with his motorcycle. Another motorcyclist with him at the time, 22-year-old Jason John Serafin, fled from police in a different direction and died from injuries he received when his motorcycle crashed into a pursuing police vehicle.
Richardson, a retired Adrian police detective, said police officers need continued mentoring beyond their field training to become effective police officers.
"I think it takes about four years to be a seasoned cop," Richardson said. "I'm from the old school, but I think the younger cops need more mentoring from the older ones to learn how to deal with people and situations they'll face. It takes more than just knowing what the laws are."
Richardson said he worked with Crawford before he retired and said he didn't notice anything that would suggest Crawford was having problems on the job or in his personal life.
"It hurts to see a young man's career end like this," Richardson said.
Crawford hearing delayed
Daily Telegram, The (Adrian, MI)
September 1, 2001
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ADRIAN -- A prosecutor referred to a signed confession when she argued Friday against lowering bond for a resigned Adrian police officer charged with criminal sexual conduct and fleeing police.
Jason Crawford, wearing a black and white striped Monroe County jail uniform, was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs after the motion was denied by Lenawee County District Judge Natalia M. Koselka.
He is to return to court Wednesday morning for a preliminary examination on criminal sexual conduct and fleeing charges that could bring a prison sentence.
He is accused of sexually assaulting a woman at her Adrian home earlier this year and with being one of two motorcyclists who fled a police traffic stop on Aug. 13. The other motorcycle rider, Jason John Serafin, 22, of Adrian, died in a head-on collision with an Adrian Township police car.
An attorney for 27-year-old Crawford asked for a reduction in his $50,000 bond because of the risks the former police officer faces in being locked in jail.
Crawford is being held in isolation for his protection at a Monroe County jail facility, attorney Robert Jameson said, adding it is a very difficult position for a police officer to be in.
"He just does not have the means to post his bond," Jameson told the court.
Although he is charged with fleeing a traffic stop, Jameson said, having been on the Adrian Police Department for three years should indicate there is little risk in releasing him on bond.
"I believe Mr. Crawford will appear at all his court hearings," Jameson said.
Assistant Lenawee County prosecutor Laura Schaedler noted her office went far enough in agreeing last week to a reduction in the original $150,000 bond amount.
"Mr. Crawford has signed a confession admitting his participation in a criminal sexual conduct offense of the first degree and second degree," Schaedler said.
He also reportedly admitted to the motorcycle chase incident.
"He did these things while he was sworn to serve and protect," Schaedler said. "He took advantage of the people he was supposed to be serving and protecting."
Crawford is almost certainly facing a conviction and sentence that will include incarceration, she argued, so Crawford may as well be serving time now that can be credited toward his sentence.
Koselka ruled she was not persuaded the bond should be reduced further than the $50,000 amount set a week ago.
A hearing scheduled for Friday afternoon was adjourned to Wednesday because a public defender appointed to represent him was unavailable due to a family emergency.
Schaedler said Crawford has admitted to sexually assaulting a woman acquaintance at her home this spring. There are no allegations he took advantage of his authority as a police officer to commit the offense, she said.
Lenawee County Sheriff Larry Richardson said Crawford confessed to him last week that he was the motorcyclist who, with Serafin, fled a sheriff's deputy on Aug. 13. The deputy attempted to stop the motorcyclists for reckless driving on South Main Street near the Adrian Mall, he said.
They sped west on U.S. 223 at more than 100 miles per hour, deputies reported, then split up on the west side of Adrian.
One motorcyclist turned back into the city on West Maumee Street. Serafin turned north on Wolf Creek Highway then sped east on Hunt Road where he collided with a stopped Adrian Township patrol car west of Tipton Highway.
Crawford asks for trial
Daily Telegram, The (Adrian, MI)
September 13, 2001
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Former Adrian patrol officer Jason Crawford pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Lenawee County Circuit Court to the criminal sexual conduct and felony fleeing police charges that forced him to resign last month.
Crawford, 27, is free on bond while he awaits a jury trial scheduled for Nov. 27 by Judge Timothy P. Pickard. Defense attorney John Glaser asked for at least two months to prepare for trial. There are six hours of video tapes and more hours of audio tape of Crawford's interviews with Michigan State Police investigators that he has not received yet, Glaser said.
Assistant Lenawee County prosecutor Laura Schaedler said during a bond hearing Aug. 31 that Crawford had signed a confession to the sex offense involving an incident at an Adrian woman's home earlier this year.
Sheriff Larry Richardson reported Crawford confessed to him that he fled a deputy attempting to make a traffic stop on South Main Street in Adrian on Aug. 13. Two motorcyclists sped away on U.S. 223, deputies reported. One of the motorcyclists, Jason John Serafin, 22, of Adrian died in a head-on collision with an Adrian Township patrol car.
Crawford rejects offer
Daily Telegram, The (Adrian, MI)
November 2, 2001
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Former Adrian police officer Jason Crawford rejected plea bargain offers and is headed to a jury trial later this month to decide criminal sexual conduct and fleeing police charges filed against him in August.
"We are prepared for trial in this matter, your honor," defense attorney James Daly of Adrian told the court Wednesday after stating Crawford had rejected prosecution offers to plead to reduced charges.
Crawford, 27, is scheduled for trial Nov. 27 in Lenawee County Circuit Judge Timothy P. Pickard's court in the criminal sexual conduct case. He remains free on a $50,000 bond.
After a Michigan State Police investigation, Crawford was charged with sexually assaulting an Adrian woman at her home in March. He resigned Aug. 22 from the Adrian Police Department.
He was also charged with fleeing from a Lenawee County sheriff's deputy who tried to pull him over for recklessly driving a motorcycle on Aug. 13. A second motorcyclist, 22-year-old Jason John Serafin of Adrian, died when he collided with an Adrian Township police car after Crawford and Serafin split up during the high-speed police pursuit.
Crawford trial delayed
Daily Telegram, The (Adrian, MI)
November 27, 2001
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A sexual assault trial for former Adrian police officer Jason Crawford was rescheduled for Jan. 8 after a hearing Tuesday in Lenawee County Circuit Court where a plea bargain was again discussed.
Crawford, 27, resigned from the police department in August after he was charged with sexually assaulting an Adrian woman earlier this year.
He also faces a felony charge of fleeing and eluding police for speeding away from a Lenawee County sheriff's deputy who attempted a traffic stop of two motorcyclists on Aug. 13. The second cyclist, Jason John Serafin, 22, of Adrian died when he crashed into an Adrian Township police car during the pursuit.
Crawford rejected a plea offer from the Lenawee County prosecutor's office on Oct. 31 in the criminal sexual conduct case. A trial scheduled for Tuesday was called off after resumption of plea bargain discussions
Ex-cop draws jail term
Daily Telegram, The (Adrian, MI)
December 19, 2001
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ADRIAN -- A former Adrian police officer will serve a maximum of one year in jail for sexually assaulting a woman and fleeing from police under a plea agreement reached Wednesday in Lenawee County Circuit Court.
Jason Crawford, 27, who resigned from the Adrian Police Department in August, admitted forcing a woman to have sex with him this spring. He also admitted fleeing from a traffic stop with another motorcyclist who subsequently was killed in a collision during the Aug. 13 high-speed chase outside Adrian.
Crawford remains free on bond while he waits for sentencing that Judge Timothy P. Pickard scheduled for Jan. 29.
Assistant Lenawee County prosecutor Douglas Hartung told the court that victims in the case agreed to the reductions to resolve the case.
The plea bargain reversed Crawford's earlier stand of insisting he was innocent in the criminal sexual conduct case and wanting a jury trial. Crawford formally rejected a plea bargain offer at an Oct. 31 hearing.
Negotiations resumed as the trial approached, however. The case was adjourned from Nov. 27 to Jan. 8.
The agreement that came out of the discussions limits Crawford's punishment to no more than one year in a county jail although the sexual assault charge to which he pleaded guilty carries up to a 10-year prison term. A fourth-degree fleeing and eluding charge to which he also pleaded guilty carries a maximum two-year prison term.
Defense attorney James Daly said a one-year jail term is within the sentencing guideline range he calculated in the case.
Crawford admitted Wednesday he did commit a sexual assault on the woman who filed a complaint with Michigan State Police in June.
"We had sex and she didn't want to," Crawford told the court Wednesday.
A signed statement given to a state police detective investigating the case also proved his guilt, prosecutors have said.
"Crawford has signed a confession admitting his participation in a criminal sexual conduct offense of the first degree and second degree," assistant Lenawee County prosecutor Laura Schaedler said at a bond hearing in September.
He had also admitted to the motorcycle chase incident.
"He did these things while he was sworn to serve and protect," Schaedler said. "He took advantage of the people he was supposed to be serving and protecting."
The sexual assault happened at an Adrian woman's home where Crawford was visiting. There was no allegation he used his position as a police officer to coerce the woman. Crawford resigned from the police force after being put on suspension while detectives investigated the allegations.
In the fleeing police case, Crawford turned himself in to the Lenawee County Sheriff's Department before he was identified as a suspect in a chase that ended with the death of his companion, 22-year-old Jason John Serafin of Adrian.
Sheriff's department reports said two motorcyclists were driving recklessly on South Main Street when a sheriff's deputy attempted a traffic stop. They sped away on U.S. 223 and split up on the west side of Adrian.
Crawford turned onto Maumee Street and escaped. Serafin drove north on Wolf Creek Highway and minutes later crashed head-on into an Adrian Township police car on Hunt Road west of Tipton Highway.
Sheriff satisfied with plea
Daily Telegram, The (Adrian, MI)
December 20, 2001
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ADRIAN -- Lenawee County Sheriff Larry Richardson said he's satisfied with a plea arrangement reached Wednesday with a former Adrian police officer in Lenawee County Circuit Court.
Jason Crawford, 27, will serve a maximum of one year in jail after admitting in court that he sexually assaulted a woman last spring and led sheriff's deputies on a high-speed pursuit with his motorcycle in August. He is free on bond and sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 29 before Judge Timothy P. Pickard.
Richardson said Crawford acknowledged early in the sheriff's department investigation that he was one of two motorcyclists that sheriff's deputies were chasing. Crawford's behavior was unacceptable, Richardson noted, but he did step forward and cooperated when confronted about the incident.
"From day one, he took responsibility for his actions," Richardson said. "I think that he feels he has to face the consequences of his actions, and I think that he will."
The one-year jail term is substantially less than the combined maximum prison time of approximately 12 years Crawford originally faced for both charges. Victims agreed to the reductions offered in the plea agreement to resolve the case.
Crawford was hired by the Adrian Police Department in January 1998 and worked as a patrol officer. Richardson, a retired Adrian police detective, said he worked with Crawford and didn't sense that the young officer was having trouble.
Fellow officers on Crawford's shift said they were not aware of any specific problems that Crawford may have been having prior to the incidents, Richardson said.
Crawford was suspended from the police department in June while Michigan State Police investigated the sexual assault complaint against him. He resigned from the police department two days before he was served with warrants for his arrest.
Adrian police dismissed from lawsuit
Daily Telegram, The (Adrian, MI)
March 27, 2004
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ADRIAN -- The city of Adrian and four police officers were dismissed from a lawsuit over the death of a Hudson man who was punched during an argument with a man in Adrian.
There is no evidence the officers were responsible for the death of Christopher Conley several hours after a confrontation they were called to investigate on Sept. 29, 2000, ruled Lenawee County Circuit Judge Harvey A. Koselka.
The ruling leaves Thomas Bobzean as the lone defendant in a trial scheduled for June 22.
Bobzean is accused of throwing a single punch that struck Conley in the head. The 25-year-old Hudson man died as a result of a skull fracture allegedly caused by the blow, according to court documents. A lawsuit brought by Conley's family claimed Adrian police caused his death by not calling an ambulance or taking Conley to a hospital.
There is no evidence to show Conley could not have sought medical treatment on his own, argued defense attorney John Whitman of Ann Arbor at a hearing Monday. He represented former officer Jason Crawford and officers Robin Burke, John Paine and Jack Deland.
"What would Conley have done that he was restrained from doing?" Whitman asked the court.
Conley was fully conscious and talking with officers who first arrived in response to a domestic dispute complaint, he said. There is no evidence he was in police custody, he said, or that he and a friend, Jesse Williams, could not leave.
When Conley's condition began to deteriorate, an officer gave him a breath test that showed a 0.17 percent blood alcohol level, Whitman noted. The officers and Williams have all said they assumed Conley was simply intoxicated rather than suffering from a serious head injury.
Crawford drove Conley and Williams to a relative's home in Adrian where he died in his sleep.
Police have immunity from negligence claims of this type so they will not be burdened with lawsuits that interfere with their ability to perform their work, Whitman argued. They can be sued only for gross negligence, he said, and there is no evidence they acted in disregard of Conley's life and health.
Bobzean is responsible for Conley's death, Whitman argued. Showing that police could have done something after the assault to save his life does not mean they directly caused his death, he said.
Attorney Kurt Olson of Allen Park argued there is enough evidence of gross negligence to take the case to a jury.
"Once you determine there is an incapacity you have to follow the letter of the law," Olson said. Conley should have been taken into protective custody and given medical treatment, he said, as stated in an affidavit by a former Dearborn police officer and criminal justice professor named as an expert for the case.
An affidavit from Dr. Werner Spitz of Gross Pointe Shores stated, "With appropriate medical attention, Christopher Conley's chances for survival would have been excellent."
Even concluding that Conley would have been saved, Koselka ruled, there is no evidence police had a duty to take him to a hospital.
