Richmond PD captain resigns after pleading guilty to misdemeanor
RICHMOND, Ind. — A Richmond Police Department captain resigned after pleading guilty to a criminal charge.
Scott A. Crull pleaded guilty to refusal to aid an officer, a Class B misdemeanor, during a Sept. 21 initial hearing in Wayne County Superior Court 1. Crull reached a plea agreement with the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office that sentenced him to 90 days of non-reporting probation, according to Judge Paul L. Freed's sentencing order.
The plea agreement also fined Crull $250 and required he voluntarily surrender his Indiana Law Enforcement Certification, without which he cannot serve as a police officer in Indiana. Crull resigned from the department, according to a news release from Chief Mike Britt.
RPD placed Crull on administrative leave Nov. 24, 2021, according to A.J. Sickmann, Richmond's city attorney, after the Indiana State Police began an investigation into a Nov. 20, 2021, situation involving Crull.
Crull, who at the time was an RPD second-shift patrol supervisor, was observed entering a building that was under surveillance, according to Sheriff Randy Retter, prior to the Wayne County Sheriff's Department and Indiana State Police SWAT team serving a search warrant. The search warrant for Salisbury Stables, 950 S. Salisbury Road, resulted from a sheriff's investigation into suspected narcotics use and sales from that address.
During the search, officers located several grams of methamphetamine, illegally possessed prescription medications and useful documents, according to Retter. Laura Lee Turner, Adrienne Ashley Turner and Sonya K. Bowser were arrested.
Retter said RPD was not involved in the narcotics investigation. Information about Crull's activity was provided to the Indiana State Police to investigate. Britt said Retter also contacted him that day expressing concern about Crull's activities. Crull was then put on leave and removed from his duty assignments.
The Indiana State Police investigation resulted in the misdemeanor charge being filed Sept. 12. Prosecutor Christopher Huerkamp of Franklin County served as special prosecutor and Freed, the Fayette County Superior Court judge, was the special judge handling Crull's case.
Because Crull's case is a misdemeanor and he was issued a court summons to face his charge, there are no public case documents detailing what Crull did at the Salisbury Road address. The Palladium-Item has requested the investigation report from the Indiana State Police.
RPD also received little information about the allegations against Crull during the investigation, according to Britt. The city only learned about information supporting probable cause for Crull's charge subsequent to Crull pleading guilty, according to Sickmann.
"This investigation was due to an isolated incident and not indicative of any larger issue within the Richmond Police Department," according to Britt's release. "Richmond’s Police Officers are held to the highest standard of professionalism and will continue to serve our community with honor and integrity."
Crull, who was hired by RPD on Sept. 22, 2006, was RPD's 2018 Supervisor of the Year. A lieutenant at the time, he supervised the Wayne County Drug Task Force and the SWAT team. Crull was promoted to captain during August 2020 while still serving that dual role.
During a Sept. 20 hearing in Superior Court 2, Laura Turner, 59, pleaded guilty to Level 6 felony possession of methamphetamine related to the Nov. 20 raid. She reached a plea agreement that sentenced her to 1½ years of probation and dismissed a habitual offender allegation, according to Judge Gregory Horn's sentencing order.
Adrienne Turner, 31, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and maintaining a common nuisance, both Level 6 felonies. She was sentenced during June to one year of incarceration as required by her plea agreement. That sentence was ordered consecutive to a six-month sentence Turner received for a Level 6 felony theft conviction, according to Horn's sentencing order.
Online court records do not show charges being filed against Bowser.
Laura Turner has a long history with RPD, with online records showing 24 criminal cases filed against her since 2001. She also has served as a confidential informant, and she reported to RPD the June 17, 2016, murder of Stacey Mosier. Her information led to the arrest of Stephen A. Via, and she served as a key witness during the trial that convicted Via of murder.
When asked if Turner was a confidential informant at the time of her Nov. 20, 2021, arrest, Sickmann replied that he is not at liberty to identify any confidential informant.
Turner has been convicted of nine felonies and seven misdemeanors. In addition, she has had 14 felony charges and five misdemeanor charges dismissed.
After testifying in Via's murder trial, Turner received 3½ years of incarceration and two years of probation to resolve five cases. She pleaded guilty to three drug-possession felonies, a fraud felony and a theft misdemeanor, while two dealing charges and a possession charge were dismissed. The prosecution said Turner's cooperation in the murder case impacted how her cases were disposed.
This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: Richmond Police captain resigns after pleading guilty to misdemeanor
