Just Holding This for a Friend

By Will Johnson

Messenger Reporter

CROCKETT – A Crockett female was arrested and charged with five offenses after she attempted to avoid being taken into custody and to dispose of evidence on Thursday, Sept. 15.

Stephanie Lashay Rains was taken into custody by officers with the Crockett Police Department and charged with resisting arrest, evading arrest, tampering with evidence and possession of a controlled substance after her roommate reported Rains had taken his truck and had not returned it.

According to an arrest report filed on the matter, the roommate had traveled to the Houston County Justice Center to report his missing truck and was met there by CPD Officer Todd Little and Sgt. Alfredo Fajardo.

The roommate provided information to the officers and then returned to his residence on N. Fourth St. Officer Little ran “… Rain’s information and she was found to have an outstanding warrant for her arrest in Trinity County for an accident involving damage.”

The report continued, “At about this time, (the roommate) called dispatch and I (Little) talked to him again. He said that his truck was now in the driveway and Rains was inside the residence. I asked if he wanted me to come talk to her about the truck and he said yes.”

When the two CPD officers arrived at the N. Fourth St. location, they met with Rains. The report stated, “After briefly talking to her about the truck, I advised her of the warrant and placed her into handcuffs. I advised her that the bond amount was $1,000. Rains said she had money to make bail in her wallet. (The roommate) said he would bond her out so Rains was escorted outside without her wallet or money. While outside, she said she did not trust (her roommate) to bond her out and she requested her wallet. She then asked (her roommate) to get her wallet.”

The roommate returned inside the residence, the report indicated, and returned with her entire purse. Rains informed him she only wanted the wallet, but the roommate continued towards her and brought her the purse. He held it open for her so she could remove her wallet while Little shined his flashlight inside so Rains could see.

According to the affidavit, Little “… observed a metal object and a clear baggie, side by side, in a pocket near the top of the purse. The metal object, at first glance, looked like the top of a drug pipe. The clear baggie next to it is a common packaging material for narcotics.”

Little’s report stated as Rains was attempting to retrieve her wallet, she kept turning her body to block the view of the police officers. “After she pulled her wallet out, I (Little) asked her if that was a pipe. (The roommate) then opened the purse up and she said it was her keys. Rains then turned and faced me with her purse behind her back. I then told her I had seen the baggie and wanted to check it out. Rains (still handcuffed) then turned and ran inside the house with her purse.”

The legal document indicated Sgt. Fajardo and Officer Little pursued Rains in to the residence and located her inside the bathroom, near the toilet.

Little’s report stated, “I was able to stop her from destroying anything from inside the purse. Rains continued to struggle for the purse until Sgt. Fajardo was able to pull it away from her. We then had to physically escort Rains out of the house. Rains grabbed onto the railing and we had to pull her off the railing. Rains continued to resist as we escorted her to a patrol unit. Rains was then secured into my patrol unit.”

After she had been placed in the police vehicle, a field test was conducted on the substance in the clear bag which showed a positive result for methamphetamine. The drug was also weighed and weighed in at approximately 3.4 grams.

Once Rains was transported to the Houston County Jail, she said she wanted to talk to Little about what was found in her purse. “I then read the Miranda Warning to Rains and she stated she understood it and still wanted to talk to me. Rains said that a man who lives in Trinity named ‘MC’ gave it to her. Rains said she was only holding onto it for him and could not tell me when she was supposed to give it back to him. I asked her what her plan was when she ran back into the house and Rains said, ‘to flush it,’” the report revealed.

Rains was booked into custody on the warrant for an accident involving damage, a Class B misdemeanor, resisting arrest and evading arrest, both Class A misdemeanors, tampering with evidence, a third degree felony and possession of a controlled substance, also a third degree felony.

She is still held at the Houston County Jail and her total bond has been set at $28,585.

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].