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Officials: Rumor False About Haleigh's Remains
Posted: 2:55 pm EDT April 21, 2010
Updated: 3:25 pm EDT April 21, 2010
<snipped>
"A rumor has spread throughout our community that her body has been located. This rumor is false, and this information has been vastly misreported and sensationalized by the media," Lieutenant Johnny Greenwood wrote in a Putnam County Sheriff's Office release.

An independent investigative reporter claimed that detectives looking for missing Haleigh Cummings showed Misty Croslin bones they recovered along the St. Johns River.

The Putnam County Sheriff&#8217;s Office said it did recover animal remains, such as multiple animal bones. The agency had an anthropologist at the scene that identified all biological items that were recovered as being non-human.

"In an effort to prevent this false information from impeding our investigation, Sheriff Hardy wants to quell these rumors so we can maintain our focus on the criminal investigation," Greenwood wrote. Investigators said Misty Croslin could have easily seen the items when she was at the dock while the dive operation was in progress.

Article:
http://www.wftv.com/news/23222550/detail.html
 
No human remains found in search
Thursday, April 22, 2010 2:50 AM EDT
<snipped>
Authorities reiterated Wednesday that no trace of Haleigh Cummings have been found after some bloggers and TV reports indicated the missing 5-year-old's remains had been discovered.

"No remains of Haleigh have been found," Maj. Gary Bowling, director of law enforcement for the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, said Wednesday. "We found a lot of biological things, but the anthropologist on scene confirmed nothing was human remains."

The response came after a recent rumor spread that Haleigh's body had been located in last week's three-day search of the St. Johns River.

"There's been a bunch of crazy reporting going on," Bowling said. "We don't have anything of Haleigh."

Article:
http://www.palatkadailynews.com/articles/2010/04/22/news/news01.txt
 
Putnam SO says Haleigh's bones not found, criticizes media
Crystal Sheffield has been in contact with Ronald Cummings

Posted: April 22, 2010 - 5:53am
"Snip" http://staugustine.com/news/2010-04-22/putnam-so-says-haleighs-bones-not-found-criticizes-media

By MORRIS NEWS SERVICE

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office again found itself answering another round of rumors affecting the Haleigh Cummings case, the families and the investigation.



The Sheriff’s Office issued a statement Wednesday that the skeletal remains have not been found.

Bloggers, websites and TV news shows such as “Nancy Grace” have widely reported on the false findings.


The Sheriff’s Office said an anthropologist at the scene of search at the river identified all biological items that were recovered as being nonhuman. Misty Croslin, brought from jail to the search area of the St. Johns River, could have seen these animal bones.


Some media reported that investigators showed Haleigh’s bones to Croslin.



Crystal Sheffield, also issued a statement through her attorney that no funeral arrangements are in the process of being made. That, too, had been inaccurately reported by some of these outlets.


Sheffield, said she has been in contact with Ronald Cummings, about what they want to do now that Sheriff Hardy has conceded their daughter is being treated as a homicide victim.

The Sheriff’s Office news release is the fourth since last week that discounts reports by media.


Hardy said investigators are trying to keep all of these distractions and false information from impeding their investigation and focus.
 
Breaking News: Misty Croslin reportedly flunks another poly!
April 23, 2010
<snipped>
Breaking developments in the Haleigh Cummings case! Urgent report surfaces that Haleigh's former babysitter/stepmom Misty Croslin flunks another polygraph! What does this mean for the investigation and the newly released details that cops have NOT found Haleigh's remains in the St. Johns river? Nancy Grace has all the latest, breaking developments on at 8 & 10 PM E.T. on HLN.

Article:
http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/nancy.grace/

Video: Misty Croslin's family debate Haleigh 4:55
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/crime/2010/04/23/ng.croslin.sister.cnn

Video: What happened to Haleigh Cummings? 5:03
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/crime/2010/04/23/ng.death.debate.cnn
 
Cummings' Relative Sentenced For Drugs
Hope Sykes Gets 15 Years In Prison On Drug Trafficking Charge
POSTED: Tuesday, April 27, 2010
UPDATED: 12:00 pm EDT April 27, 2010
<snipped>
A woman accused of being involved in a prescription drug operation with Ronald and Misty Cummings was sentenced Tuesday morning.

Hope Sykes, a cousin of Ronald Cummings, received a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years in prison after pleading no contest to a drug trafficking charge. She also faces $250,000 in fines.

The prosecution played an audio recording in court of a jail conversation Sykes had with her mother. They claimed it proved her lack of remorse for the crime.

Hope Sykes is sentenced to 15 years in prison.
23277750_640X360.jpg


Article:
http://www.news4jax.com/news/23277023/detail.html
 
Cummings' cousin gets 15 years for trafficking
Published: Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 10:57 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 10:57 a.m
<snipped>
At the hearing in Palatka Tuesday morning, Sykes had sought to be sentenced to probation and drug therapy as a youthful offender. She told the judge she wanted to get a GED, go to college and become a physical therapist.

"I let drugs control my life," Sykes said. "I let my family down. I know I messed up. I want help. I don't want to live this life no more."

Friends and relatives asked for leniency, saying that Sykes had learned her lesson and that she had just gotten caught up in drugs.

Article:
http://www.gainesville.com/article/...Cummings-cousin-gets-15-years-for-trafficking
 
Cousin of Haleigh Cummings' father sentenced to 15 years on drug-trafficking charge
She pleaded no contest in case; judge said she was not qualified for youthful offender consideration
April 27, 2010 - 11:06am
<snipped>
Hope Sykes was 18 when she was arrested in January on a charge of trafficking after she, her cousin Ronald Cummings and Misty Croslin were recorded selling 25 hydrocodone pills in an undercover officer's car.

Sykes had been out of jail less than two weeks on a possession charge when she was arrested in the trafficking case, which Circuit Judge Terry LaRue said disqualified her for youthful offender consideration that would have meant a much shorter sentence.

Family members gasped and Sykes was clearly shaken at the sentence imposed after an hour of testimony on her behalf by her family and others. Cummings was in the courtroom as a defense witness but not called.

A one point during the hearing, the prosecutor played a tape of an angry and unremorseful Sykes telling her mother, "if they think I am bad now wait until I get out."

Hope Sykes (center) is taken away in tears after being sentenced by Judge Terry LaRue to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison on drug charges at the Putnam County Courthouse on Tuesday morning.
skyes042710_2.jpg


Photo gallery: Hope Sykes is sentenced to 15 years
http://photos.jacksonville.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=988854&CategoryID=57821&ListSubAlbums=0

Article:
http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/...gs-father-sentenced-15-years-drug-trafficking
 
Report: Relative of Haleigh Cummings gets 15 years for drug trafficking
Hope Sykes is the 18-year-old cousin of the father of missing Putnam County girl Haleigh Cummings.
12:20 p.m. EDT, April 27, 2010
<snipped>
A relative of missing Putnam County girl Haleigh Cummings was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for drug trafficking, news Web sites are reporting.

Hope Sykes is an 18-year-old cousin of Ronald Cummings, the father of missing Putnam County girl Haleigh Cummings, Gainesville.com is reporting.

Sykes pleaded no contest.

Article:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...s-relative-sentenced-20100427,0,4820656.story
 
Hope Sykes pleaded no contest to one count of trafficking prescription narcotics and gets 15-year sentence.


By Cindy Swirko Staff writer


Published: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 6:01 a.m.

"Snip' http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100428/ARTICLES/4281005/1002?p=1&tc=pg

PALATKA -The sentence by Judge Terry LaRue is the minimum mandatory sentence for the crime.

Sykes, Cummings and Misty Croslin were all arrested on trafficking charges in January following an undercover investigation.

Sheriff's Lt. Johnny Greenwood said Tuesday the investigation of Haleigh's disappearance is ongoing with no new breaks.



At the hearing Tuesday morning, Friends and relatives asked for leniency, saying Sykes had learned her lesson. They pledged to support Sykes in her effort to continue her education and stay out of trouble.

Assistant State Attorney Jacquelyn Roys pointed out that Sykes was arrested Jan. 3 on an unrelated drug possession charge, yet continued to be involved with drug activity after being released on that charge, leading to her second arrest.

Judge LaRue cited Sykes' violation of the terms of her release for the drug possession charge as a factor in his decision to give her 15 years.

Both Sykes and her many relatives and friends who were in the courtroom seemed surprised by the sentence.

Cummings was on the witness list and was in the courtroom on Tuesday but he was not called to testify.

Ronald Cummings is among several people connected to the Haleigh case now facing drug-trafficking charges.

Sykes on one count; Misty Croslin on eight counts; Ronald Cummings on five counts; Hank "Tommy" Croslin Jr., on one count; and Donna Brock, on one count.

Tommy Croslin has been arrested on other drug charges unrelated to the undercover investigation. Both he and Cummings have had other run-ins with the law.

Chris Kelly, a spokesman for the 7th Circuit State Attorney's Office, said prosecutors had no comment on Sykes' sentence because of the pending cases against the others.

Kelly added he is not aware of any negotiations on plea agreements for the other defendants.

James Werter, attorney for Tommy Croslin, said the sentence given to Sykes would not impact the handling of his client's case.

"It's different charges, different degrees, different score sheets - the whole nine yards," Werter said.
 
Cummings' cousin gets 15 years in drug case
Misty's attorney not sure what sentence means to his client
April 28, 2010 - 12:11am
<snipped>
Hope Sykes' tearful pleas before a Putnam County judge Tuesday weren't enough to stave off a 15-year prison sentence in a drug-trafficking case that is embroiling the family of missing HaLeigh Cummings. Her mood was in stark contrast to the angry defiance the judge heard in a phone call Sykes made to her mother last month after agreeing to plead no contest to the trafficking charge. "I'm not going to boot camp," she said in the recording played for the court. "I'm telling you right now they think I'm bad now, wait till I get out of that."

Cummings has been charged with five counts of trafficking and Croslin has been charged with eight in the monthlong investigation that began in December. Croslin's brother Hank "Tommy" Croslin Jr. and a friend Donna Brock, also face single trafficking charges in the same investigation.

After Sykes' sentencing, Misty Croslin's attorney, Robert Fields, said it was difficult to weigh what the 15-year prison term meant to his client's case. "I'll have to digest it," he said. "Judges rule on a case-by-case basis and this is a different case."

Sykes and her family were clearly shaken and tears ran as her mother buried her face in her hands. More than half a dozen people spoke in Sykes' behalf, which her attorney, Marcella Beeching, told the judge attested to a "fantastic support system."

Prosecutor Jacquelyn Roys requested the minimum mandatory sentence and said Sykes was an active participant in the drug sale. Roys also played the recorded jail call for the judge, with Sykes profanely railing against any stiff sentence. "Well, stupid us if we let her out, because she already told us what was going to happen," Roys said.

Beeching has 30 days to appeal the sentence.
*Much more at link!

Article:
http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2010-04-28/cummings-cousin-gets-15-years-drug-case
 
Hope Sykes sentenced for her part in drug transaction
Wednesday, April 28, 2010 2:20 AM EDT
<snipped>
Hope Sykes, a relative of Haleigh Cummings, was sentenced to 15 years behind bars Tuesday morning for one count of drug trafficking. Her family looked on as she stood before a nearly full courtroom, turning to peer into the crowd as her grandmother held another family member, crying as the 18-year-old's sentence was announced.

Sykes faced one count of trafficking in Hydrocodone following a monthlong narcotics investigation that led to the arrest of her and four others, including Haleigh's father, 26-year-old Ronald Cummings and 18-year-old Misty Croslin. Sykes was the only one to plead no contest to the charges.

Her attorney sought a youthful offender consideration in an effort to reduce Sykes' sentence. Circuit Judge Terry LaRue said she was not eligible because she was 18 at the time of the transaction and was on parole for possession charges when the arrest was made. "The youthful statute is helpful in many cases to place youthful offenders in which they had no or little control - but that's not the case here," LaRue said.

Article:
http://www.palatkadailynews.com/articles/2010/04/28/news/news01.txt
 
Public records begin to distort opinion, right to a fair trial
Posted: May 9, 2010 By Dana Treen
"Snip" http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/...ords-shred-privacy-sensational-criminal-cases


Last month on drug-trafficking charges, Hope Sykes was heard in a recorded declaration saying prosecutors "can kiss my - - -" over a possible six-year sentence as a youthful offender.

The judge who instead sent Sykes to prison for 15 years never mentioned the comment, but the intent of the prosecutors who played the recording was clear.

"Thought it was ammunition against her remorse the chief assistant public defender in Putnam County, said of the prosecution.

Using defendants' words against them is not a new tactic in courtrooms. Increasingly, however, jailhouse phone calls, images from inmate visits with family and recordings in police operations are aired in public where they can steer opinion.

Sykes' arrest pulled her into the high-profile investigation of Haleigh Cummings.

The arrest with Cummings and others in the trafficking case swept Sykes up in a saga that has inundated the public with images and recordings as interest in the cases escalated.

Negative pretrial publicity has been shown to have an impact on jury perceptions in trials, said Levett, an assistant psychology of law professor at the University of Florida.

"It has a potential to have an impact on jurors' decisions," she said.

More at the article link above:
 
Jailhouse visit increasingly used in court cases
Shoar raises question: Does it serve justice?
Posted: May 9, 2010 By Dana Treen
"Snip"
At her sentencing hearing last month on drug-trafficking charges, Hope Sykes was heard in a recorded declaration saying prosecutors "can kiss my - - -" over a possible six-year sentence as a youthful offender.



"They thought it was ammunition against her remorse," Bill Bookhammer.
Using defendants' words against them is not a new tactic in courtrooms.


Increasingly, however, jailhouse phone calls, images from inmate visits with family and recordings in police operations are aired in public where they can steer opinion.


Sykes' arrest pulled her into the high-profile investigation of HaLeigh Cummings.;


Negative pretrial publicity has been shown to have an impact on jury perceptions in trials, said Lora Levett, an assistant psychology of law professor at the University of Florida.


Former State Attorney Rod Smith, said defense attorneys begin to position themselves early and prosecutors are under pressure to get their side of the story out.


"I think both sides try cases more in the public arena than they ever would have 10 or 20 years ago," he said.


Part of the strategy may be to get the trial venue changed, get judges to recuse themselves or influence the jury pool, Smith said.



The undercover drug operation that caught Sykes and Cummings in January was separate from the investigation of HaLeigh's case but drew attention because others arrested were Misty Croslin "Tommy" Croslin Jr. and friend Donna Brock.
Images taken in undercover cars, of visits between family and those arrested have been widely broadcast since then.



Had it not been for HaLeigh's disappearance, "few people had interest in another drug-trafficking case in rural Florida," he said.



Hank Croslin Sr., father of Misty and Tommy, said people frequently recognize him and his wife on the street. Both are shown in jail visitation recordings talking with their children.


"I don't see how they can get a fair trial here," he said. "If they had a jury trial, I know she wouldn't get a fair trial."


Croslin Sr. said his son will no longer discuss his case in calls home and his daughter also says less.


Much more at article link: http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2010-05-09/jailhouse-visit-increasingly-used-court-cases
 
Dad: Misty, Hank 'Didn't Hurt Haleigh'
Parents Of Misty Cummings, Hank Croslin Jr. Talk About Haleigh Case
POSTED: Friday, May 7, 2010
UPDATED: 6:44 pm EDT May 7, 2010
<snipped>
"I know my daughter and son didn't hurt Haleigh," said Croslin, 41, the father of Misty Cummings and Hank Croslin Jr. "My heart goes out to Haleigh's parents, Ronald (Cummings) and all of them. I don't know what happened that day. I still don't know what happened."

On Friday, he talked to Channel 4 for the first time. "They didn't hurt that baby. That's the one thing I can tell you," he said of his son and daughter. "They don't have the heart to do that." "It's like the whole world has condemned us, and we didn't do nothing." "She just cries and says, 'Mom, I don't want to be in here forever,'" said Lisa Croslin, the mother of Misty Cummings and Hank Croslin Jr., of her conversations with Cummings. "Like I told her, there's nothing I can do."

For five months, Croslin Sr. and his 40-year-old wife have called a tiny room home. They stay in a board house in Putnam County and are unemployed. They said they don't think anyone will hire them because of their reputation. "You live one day at a time," Croslin Sr. said. "You just hope you can make it through that day." When asked how much money they have in their pockets, Croslin Sr. said, "Not a penny." Croslin Sr. said: "I think they'll be found innocent, yeah, of not harming her. I don't know what happened -- what they know or what happened -- but I know either one of them didn't hurt that baby."

Video: Hank Croslin Sr. Talks Haleigh Case
http://www.news4jax.com/video/23490815/index.html

Article:
http://www.news4jax.com/news/23488043/detail.html
 
Ronald Cummings Heads To Court For Drug Charges
Haleigh Cummings Still Missing
POSTED: 6:09 am EDT May 13, 2010
"Snip" http://www.wesh.com/news/23538675/detail.html


PALATKA, Fla. -- Ronald Cummings heads to court Thursday to talk about his drug trafficking charges.

Ronald Cummings will take part in a pre-trial hearing at 9 a.m. in Palatka.

The father of Haleigh Cummings is charged in a drug trafficking ring.

Misty Croslin is also charged in the case along with Hank Croslin Jr.
 
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=155977

In it, he tells Hollars to get his wife on the phone, asking for his lawyer.

"I need her to get my lawyer down here, it's important," Croslin said.

"I have to do something that I should have done a long time ago...just scared, don't want no one to hurt my kids." He has three children.

"Do you know, Tommy?" Hollars asked him.

"All I know is he's got to pay; he can't get to none of us so it don't matter," Croslin replied.

"It ain't me. No, it's not me, she (his wife, Lindsey) should know that...she's already heard the story," he continued.

"Is it the story that Misty said?" Hollars asked.

"Yeah, that's it."

"Joe?"

"Yep." <snipped>
 
Lawyer: Plea deal likely in Cummings drug case
Published: Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 10:57 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 10:57 a.m.
<snipped>
Ronald Cummings, the father of missing Putnam County girl Haleigh Cummings, is set to stand trial on drug-trafficking charges on July 19, but his lawyer said Cummings will likely agree to a plea deal before then.

Speaking after a hearing before Circuit Judge Terry LaRue in Palatka Thursday morning, attorney Terry Shoemaker said Cummings, 26, will likely agree to plead to three of five charges. Each of those three charges carries a minimum mandatory prison sentence of 15 years.

Two of the five charges - involving trafficking in larger amounts of prescription drugs - carry a minimum sentence of 25 years. Shoemaker said the tentative deal in the works involves dropping those two, more severe charges. The plea deal might be completed by July 1, he said. Cummings would agree to testify against his co-defendants and would be sentenced after those case went to trial.

Tommy Croslin was scheduled to appear in court for a hearing at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

Article:
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100513/ARTICLES/100519729/1002
 
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