McHenry woman with pending drug case charged with new offenses, detained in county jail

A McHenry woman on pretrial release for a pending drug case was arrested again this week and is charged in a new case involving drug and child endangerment offenses, authorities said.

Desiree Crowcroft, 29, is charged with the possession, manufacturing and delivery of 15 to 100 grams of cocaine, which is a Class X felony, and child endangerment, according to a criminal complaint filed in McHenry County court.

Crowcroft made an initial court appearance Wednesday in which Judge Christopher Harmon ordered that she be detained in the county jail.

In arguing for her detention, Assistant State’s Attorney Anthony Marin said Crowcroft is a danger to herself and the community, as well as her own children, with the prosecutors asserting that she is a drug dealer and that, even if on house arrest, she still could continue to sell drugs.

On Sept. 4, police searched Crowcroft’s home and found a white chalky substance that field-tested positive for cocaine, authorities said. They also found packaging material used for selling narcotics that had residue on them and her 12-year-old daughter in the home, Marin said.

The prosecutor said Crowcroft, who also has two younger children, “refused to return to the house” and turned off her phone when she knew police were there and with her child. She is a flight risk and a danger to her children because the narcotics were in a location accessible to them, Marin said.

Additionally, Marin said that when charged in this case, Crowcroft was out on pretrial release on a previous drug-related case and failed to follow conditions. In that case, which involved two other defendants, she is charged with possession with intent to deliver cocaine and fentanyl, Class X felonies, among other charges including child endangerment, records show.

Crowcroft was arrested in January and, after an initial appearance hearing, was released pretrial with conditions. A petition to revoke her pretrial release in that case is on file and set to be argued Thursday.

However, Assistant Public Defender David Giesinger argued for her release. He said Crowcroft has to care for and support her three children and is starting a new job Monday with set hours of 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Giesinger said that when Crowcroft learned from her attorney there was a warrant out for her arrest on new charges, she turned herself in. Giesinger also said she has appeared in court as ordered in her previous case. The attorney said there is no evidence of any sales or attempted sales of cocaine.

Harmon did not find that she is a flight risk but did find that if released, there are no conditions that would keep the community or her children safe and detained her.