MACON — A Kirksville woman faces a new felony stealing charge after she allegedly took an envelope of personal documents and a checkbook from the Macon County Assessor’s office on the same day she was at the courthouse for a separate felony drug case, according to court records.
Crystal L. Brewster, of Kirksville, is charged with one count of stealing, a class D felony, in a complaint filed June 8 by Macon County Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Meisner. Judge Mike Greenwell, sitting in for Judge Burks, issued a warrant for Brewster’s arrest June 9 and set bond at $10,000, cash only.
According to a probable cause statement by Macon County Sheriff’s Deputy Dakota Cunningham, the theft was reported May 27 at the assessor’s office. A woman who had gone to the office for real ID paperwork set a large white envelope on the front counter and stepped away to speak with staff; when she returned, the envelope was gone. The envelope held the woman’s driver’s license, marriage certificate, birth certificate, voter ID card and a checkbook with checks, the statement says.
Office staff reviewed security camera footage, which allegedly showed a woman, later identified as Brewster, walk up to the counter, pick up the envelope, look inside and leave with it, according to the report.
Cunningham wrote that he contacted Brewster at the Macon County Courthouse, where she was waiting to appear before Judge Frederick Paul Tucker. She allegedly admitted taking the envelope but said she “didn’t know it was exactly hers to take,” and told the deputy she had handed it to her stepson, who was waiting in a vehicle. The stepson returned the envelope, and all of the contents were recovered, the statement says. The victim, identified in court filings only as a confidential victim, told deputies she wished to pursue charges.
Court records show why Brewster was at the courthouse that day. She has a pending felony case charging possession of a controlled substance, a class D felony, and misdemeanor unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, stemming from a February incident. At a May 27 hearing in that case, Brewster tested positive for methamphetamine, amphetamine, marijuana and ecstasy, and the court ordered a warrant with bond set at $20,000, cash only, records show. That case is set for a hearing June 10 before Judge Tucker.
The charges are allegations. Brewster is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.