Craine charged with assault

A Washington County man faces several felony charges after allegedly keeping his girlfriend tied up and assaulting her on Monday and Tuesday.

Jeffrey Craine, 52, of Richwoods, is charged with first-degree domestic assault, first-degree kidnapping, armed criminal action, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, and resisting arrest.

According to a probable cause statement by Cpl. Robbie Wells of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, officers responded Tuesday to an address on Forest Peak Drive for a 911 call where a woman reported that her boyfriend, Craine, tied her up and physically assaulted her over a period of two days.

She stated that she was able to get free and fled to the neighbor’s residence to call for help. While on her way to her neighbor’s residence, dispatch reportedly received another 911 call coming from the neighbor of the victim. The neighbor reported that Craine was now at her residence trying to take the victim back home. The neighbor stated that Craine pushed the victim off her porch and was shoving her toward their shared residence. He was reportedly made aware that law enforcement was called and left the area.

When responding, officers met Craine on Forest Peak Drive approximately half a mile from his residence. Craine reportedly saw law enforcement and fled into the woods in a white Jeep. When officers arrived at the residence, the Jeep was parked sideways in the driveway.

According to the report, the defendant exited his residence armed with an AR-15 resting across his chest and yelled, “what the [expletive] are you doing here?”

The officer ordered the defendant to drop the weapon but Craine refused to comply and fled back into the residence. After ordering the defendant out of the residence over the P.A. system, he reportedly surrendered unarmed.

The victim gave a verbal and written statement that Craine tied her up with a belt and beat her for two days. She stated that he pointed a firearm at her several times over the two-day period and threatened to kill her.

According to the statement, the victim had several bruises on her arms, legs, and hip area. The report states that she also had a raised contusion on the right side of her head, the inside of her lip was busted, and two of her front teeth were chipped. The victim reportedly refused medical treatment on the scene but was complaining of stomach pain. She reported to officers that she is scared for her life because Craine is very abusive toward her and she is currently pursuing an order of protection for her safety.

Craine was booked into the Washington County Jail and an initial bond was set at $150,000 cash only.

According to court records, a bond reduction order was entered in the case and the bond was converted to $150,000, cash, surety, or property with the same original conditions that if Craine posts bond, all firearms that he owns must be turned over to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. He is prohibited from possessing firearms while on bond and must get permission from the court before leaving the state.

If convicted of the charges, Craine could face up to life in prison.

Craine