On Tuesday, September 12th 2023, Deputy Alan Hernandez was patrolling the Halley Community, when He observed a white male squatting in the middle of the Halley Baptist Church parking lot. As he approached the subject to investigate the suspicious activity, the found the subject with no shirt on, and he was sweating profusely. Deputy Hernandez was able to identify the subject at 39-year-old Nathaniel Crouch, who stated he lived on Highway 159 in Halley. Crouch stated that he was from Colorado and told Deputy Hernandez that he had warrants out for his arrest. Upon checking the National Crime Information Center database, it was discovered that Crouch had an extensive arrest history out of Colorado and showed to currently have active warrants from that State. As Deputy Hernandez patted Crouch’s pockets, he felt a bulge in his right front pants pocket. Crouch stated that he had “needles” in the pocket. Deputy Hernandez recovered a plastic bag that contained multiple syringes. He then recovered a second plastic bag that contained a syringe with clear liquid. When he asked Crouch what was in the syringe, Crouch stated that he “pleads the fifth.” While Deputy Hernandez was confirming the warrants out of Colorado, Crouch grabbed the syringe and attempted to push some of the liquid out. Crouch was placed in handcuffs and taken into custody and Pueblo County Colorado advised they would extradite Crouch back to Colorado on their warrant. Deputy Hernandez transported crouch to the McGehee City Jail. After testing the liquid in the syringe, it was discovered that it was a mix of Methamphetamine and Fentanyl. Crouch was booked in for Possession of a Schedule I Controlled Substance and Tampering With Physical Evidence. At his first appearance hearing Crouch’s bond was set at $40,000.
