Statements an Ocean View woman made to police in January cannot be brought up at her trial later this month, 3rd Circuit Court Judge Ronald Ibarra ruled June 19.
A June 24 order, filed by Public Defender Peter Bresciani, said Trinety Crapser’s statements were made involuntarily.
Crapser, 25, is facing first-degree robbery, second-degree attempted assault, third-degree assault, first-degree unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle and attempted unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle charges.
The order noted a reference in the interrogation transcipt in which Detective Sean Smith mentioned he had asked Crapser if she was ready to make a statement, as she had indicated she was willing to do while still in her jail cell. Smith then said he needed to read her her Miranda rights, as a formality.
That meant Crapser had not been read her rights before the conversation at the jail cell, Bresciani wrote.
Then, Crapser and Smith had a conversation in which Crapser said she didn’t see what good it would do for her to say anything to Smith, because “well, nothing I say will get me anything better.”
Smith responded, “This is not necessarily true. I mean, if you cooperate, I can help you. I can help you. Have you ever been to rehab?”
At that point, Crapser offered more information, the order said.
“Prior to this exchange, Ms. Crapser was denying any involvement in the charged offense and immediately after this exchange, she admitted participating in the charged offense,” Bresciani wrote.
Based on the information about the order in which Crapser was read her rights, the court determined her comment incriminating herself were “involuntary as it was induced by Detective Smith’s promise to aid Ms. Crapser,” the order said.
A number of subpeonas have been filed in the case for witnesses for Crapser’s trial, which is slated to begin July 29. The defense also filed a motion for the state to pay to bring a witness from Arizona for the trial.
The charges stem from a January incident on South Point Road in which police say Crapser wielded a 15-inch hatchet with a 7-inch blade above her head and demanded possession of a purple Chevrolet Corvette. The car’s owner, Trudi Grentz, testified in court in January that Crapser got out of a separate car and tried to take the vehicle. The two fought, and Crapser allegedly bit Grentz.
The driver of the car in which Crapser was riding, Kainoa Kahele-Bishop, 23, allegedly got out of his car and stole items from the Corvette and ran away. Another man happened upon the incident and broke up Crapser and Grentz, and Crapser ran away, according to testimony during the January hearing.
Bresciani, during a May hearing, indicated Crapser said Kahele-Bishop had forced her to perform the attempted robbery.
Kahele-Bishop also faces charges stemming from the incident.