Published: December 13, 2008 03:57 pm      

Burglary, robbery charges set for pretrial

A Richmond man charged with burglary, robbery and unlawful imprisonment was given another pretrial date Thursday in Madison Circuit Court.

Raymond Lamar Crutcher, 20, of Merrick Drive, will have a pretrial conference at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 15 and has a trial date set for Feb. 16.

Crutcher was indicted in November by a Madison County grand jury and charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, second-degree unlawful imprisonment and two counts of second-degree persistent felony offender.

The persistent felony offender charges were dismissed because a person must be at least 21 years old when he or she commits a second felony to be considered a persistent felony offender.

Crutcher was 20 with he committed his second felony.

Richmond police officers were dispatched Sept. 2 to 405 Norwood Drive in response to a reported home invasion, according to Sgt. Willard Reardon, public affairs officer for the Richmond Police Department.

“While en route to the call, an officer encountered a vehicle stopped in the roadway at Clay Drive and North Street,” Reardon said. “When the officer attempted to get the vehicle to move, the driver accelerated abruptly and departed at a high rate of speed.”

Officers tried to initiate a traffic stop on the vehicle to investigate the driver, but he refused to yield to police commands.

The man, accompanied by two other people, then allegedly drove to the North Third Street area and attempted to enter the Richmond Manor Apartments.

“That is where it collided with the rear of a stopped school bus,” Reardon said. “No students on the bus were injured and the bus incurred only minor damage.”

Undeterred, the three occupants of the vehicle then fled on foot from the scene of the collision, Reardon said.

It was later learned through investigation by the Richmond Police Criminal Investigation Division that one of the fleeing males, now identified as Crutcher, allegedly unlawfully entered an apartment at 214 Kalone Drive while in flight from the police.

“The residence was being remodeled by a male worker who was inside at the time Crutcher entered,” Reardon said. “After entering the residence, Crutcher shoved the worker to the floor and would not allow him to leave until after police had left the area.”

Crutcher was arrested Sept. 2 by Richmond Police and indicted Nov. 7.

He remains lodged in the Madison County Detention Center on a $20,000 cash bond.



Ronica Shannon can be reached by rshannon@richmondregister.com or 623-1669, Ext. 234.