Former Montezuma County Undersheriff Robin Cronk turned himself in Wednesday on charges of embezzlement and misconduct.
A Colorado Bureau of Investigations news release said Cronk “turned himself in to police following a warrant being issued for his arrest in connection with the alleged misuse of county funds.”
The 43-year-old Mancos resident was processed Wednesday at the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office jail on a single count of embezzlement of public funds, a Class 5 felony, and one count of first-degree official misconduct, a Class 2 misdemeanor.
The criminal investigation by CBI agents revealed Cronk allegedly purchased items for personal use over an extended period of time. The warrant remains sealed, and CBI has released no further details.
Cronk was released on a $1,500 cash bond, officials said, and he appeared Thursday before Montezuma County Court Judge JenniLynn Lawrence, who placed a protection order against Cronk as part of a bond stipulation. Requested by District Attorney chief investigator Tom Seymour, the protection order bars Cronk from sending any harassing text messages or making any harassing phone calls to any employees of the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office.
In open court, Cronk, denied the allegations.
“I have not been harassing employees,” Cronk told Lawrence. “Most of the employees at the Sheriff’s Office still stand behind me.”
Lawrence informed Cronk that if he violated the protection order, he could face additional charges of witness tampering.
During the bond hearing, Cronk also requested that he be allowed to leave the court’s jurisdiction to move to Arizona on Aug. 1. Lawrence granted the request, citing Cronk had signed a waiver of extradition.
Cronk also indicated during the proceedings that he would file the proper paperwork to seek legal representation from the public defender’s office.
Prosecutors are expected to either file criminal charges against Cronk or request an extension seeking additional time to complete its investigation at a hearing next week.
Montezuma County Sheriff Dennis Spruell declined to comment.
“I don’t want to step on any toes,” Spruell said. “It’s (a CBI) investigation, and I’ll let them handle it.”
The charges stem from a state probe into credit-card charges Cronk allegedly made as undersheriff. Cronk resigned his post as undersheriff within a week after being placed on paid administrative leave when the investigation was launched last month.
Cronk charged nearly $3,000 just in the month of June using his taxpayer-funded department-issued credit card, according to records obtained by the Cortez Journal after an open-records request. Those same records reveal Cronk’s total credit card charges nearly doubled from 2011 to more than $11,500 last year. This year, he was on course to surpass 2012 levels, racking up nearly $7,500 through the first half of 2013.
The maximum penalty, if convicted on the Class 5 felony, is a six-year prison term.
Spruell has ordered a department-wide audit after the credit-card scandal. Without releasing the name of the auditor, Spruell said the audit should be finalized by Monday, and results of the audit would be released “sometime after that.”
New undersheriff needs peace officer certification
Newly appointed Montezuma County Undersheriff Lynda Carter isn’t certified to serve as a law-enforcement officer in Colorado.
All active and reserve peace officers, including undersheriffs, working for Colorado law-enforcement agencies are required to complete the Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training certification administered under the authority of the attorney general.
Montezuma County Sheriff Dennis Spruell appointed Carter as undersheriff late last month after Robin Cronk resigned amid a credit-card scandal. Spruell said Wednesday afternoon that Carter is doing the clerical work as undersheriff, but because she lacks certification, she is unable to make arrests and has no law-enforcement authority.
Carter said she plans to start her Peace Officer Standards and Training course at the Southwest Colorado Community College campus west of Mancos on Aug. 12.
