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False rape suspect, husband arrested for allegedly conspiring to deal meth

The Citizens' Voice - 4/4/2018

April 04--WILKES-BARRE -- The woman accused of falsely blaming two state troopers of rape and the husband she says abused her showed up in court for a preliminary hearing Tuesday afternoon and left together in handcuffs.

State troopers allege Donald Richard Cromer, 43, and his wife, Christine A. Cromer, 37, both of 237 Maffett St., Plains Twp., conspired to deal crystal methamphetamine while they were both out on bail in separate cases.

Magisterial District Judge Donald L. Whittaker denied bail for the couple after a Luzerne County detective revealed in court that Donald Cromer, a member of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, has a tattoo on his forearm of the Pennsylvania State Police logo riddled with bullet holes.

"He's definitely a threat to society," Detective Chaz Balogh said in court. "I feel it's only going to escalate from this point."

The arrests took place when the Cromers showed up at Central Court on Tuesday for Donald Cromer's preliminary hearing on a false imprisonment charge. Police say Donald Cromer was in a jealous rage when he accused his wife of cheating on him and handcuffed her to a radiator. He also threatened to take Christine Cromer to a fellow gang member's house where his friends could do "whatever they wanted" to her, police said.

When officers arrived at the family home, Donald Cromer was uncooperative and belligerent, according to the charges.

In court Tuesday, Donald Cromer's defense attorney Joseph Gregory McGraw sought a bail change so his client, who has been free since posting $300,000 bail through a bondsman March 21, can once more have contact with his wife. McGraw noted the Cromers have been together for 23 years and been married with children for 12 years of that time. They would like to get joint marriage counseling, he said.

"Certainly they should have the right to associate and seek treatment to preserve the family," McGraw said.

But Assistant District Attorney Angela Sperrazza countered that Donald Cromer had been calling his wife from jail in violation of his bail conditions.

"It's a domestic violence situation where he didn't let the cops in the house to come help her," Sperrazza said.

Whittaker denied the motion to amend bail, and state troopers immediately moved in to arrest the couple inside the courtroom.

The new charges allege the couple was dealing crystal meth in Luzerne County between February and March.

According to the complaints, troopers began investigating the couple after an informant reported Donald Cromer had been selling crystal meth. During a controlled buy on Feb. 14, Donald Cromer sold crystal meth to the informant at the Cromer residence, police said. The next day, the informant set up another buy at a parking lot, where Christine Cromer delivered more crystal meth, according to the charges.

Then on March 15, the informant set up another deal and bought more meth from Donald Cromer, the charges allege.

Police charged Donald Cromer with four counts of drug trafficking, two counts of conspiracy to deal drugs, two counts of criminal use of a communication facility and three counts of drug possession. Christine Cromer was charged with two counts of drug trafficking, two counts of conspiracy to deal drugs and one count each of criminal use of a communication facility and drug possession.

Whittaker arraigned the pair on the charges Tuesday afternoon and shipped them off to the Luzerne County Correctional Facility without bail to await preliminary hearings on April 17.

"Oh God," said a tearful woman who came to court with the Cromers, as she rubbed their son's back.

Christine Cromer has been free on $50,000 bail in two cases on charges of filing false reports and unsworn falsification alleging she implicated two troopers in a sexual assault outside Mohegan Sun Pocono -- attacks police say never happened.

In November, Christine Cromer sought a protective order against state police Sgt. Daniel Jones, alleging that in November 2016, Jones forced himself on her in a police car parked behind Mohegan Sun Pocono. At the time, Christine Cromer worked at the casino as a cocktail waitress.

Christine Cromer subsequently dropped her effort to get the protective order.

The charges note that the first time Jones ever met Christine Cromer was in May, when he interviewed her about allegations she raised that Trooper Robert Covington, a Bureau of Gaming Enforcement officer, had forced himself on her after she tried to break off a relationship with him.

Christine Cromer's story about Covington, which she related to investigators during questioning, was nearly identical to the allegations she leveled against Jones. Citing Christine Cromer's "multiple and inconsistent stories," police charged her with making false reports and unsworn falsification.

Court records show Christine Cromer is due back in court April 13 for a preliminary hearing on those charges.

Contact the writer:

jhalpin@citizensvoice.com

570-821-2058

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