‘Prior and persistent offender’ Crain arrested, charged with burglary

An Ash Grove man is accused of entering a vacant house in Springfield and burglarizing it. Ashley Crain, 41, was arrested by Greene County deputy sheriffs and charged with second-degree burglary on Wednesday, May 13.
According to the probable cause statement in the case, the deputies were responding to a report of a burglary in progress at a house in Springfield. They reported that while searching the house, Crain came out of the attic. He was taken into custody.
In a post-Miranda interview, Crain said he and a friend had entered the house to “look around.” When asked why he was hiding in the attic, Crain said he heard his friend getting yelled at by someone and got scared.
When a deputy asked Crain what he had stolen from the house, Crain denied stealing anything. After he was shown a gold chain that was found in the attic of the house, Crain reportedly said it was not his, and he found it in the house.
The deputy reported finding another gold chain in Crain’s pocket. Crain reportedly said that chain also was not his, and he found it in the house.
According to the criminal complaint in the case, Crain is a “prior and persistent offender.” The complaint states Crain was convicted on July 18, 2008, of driving while intoxicated, possession of a controlled substance and distribution of a controlled substance.
The complaint also states that Crain was convicted on July 30, 2018, of tampering with a motor vehicle in the first degree.
According to the complaint, Crain can be sentenced to an extended term of imprisonment, if convicted, as a prior and persistent offender.
Crain was booked into the Greene County after being arrested; online sources show he was released on Friday, May 15 after posting a $1,500 surety bond. He is next scheduled to appear in court on Monday, June 29.