Creston Police: Fence post damage results in felony charge

Alex R. Cunningham, 34, of Creston, was taken into custody 4:50 p.m. June 24, at his residence on a Union County warrant charging him with eight counts of theft, fifth degree.

According to a Creston Police report, Walmart Loss Prevention provided video footage of a male, identified as Cunningham, going through the self checkout on eight occasions between March 20 and May 20, scanning and paying for only some of the items he had in his cart each time. He bagged or put the unpaid items back into his cart and exited the store with the items.

The total amount of items taken without being paid for was $269.31.

Cunningham was transported to the Union County Jail where he was released from after posting 10% of a $2,400 bond.

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Tyler J. Hicks, 36, of Fontanelle, was taken into custody 5:55 p.m. June 24, at Chestnut and Fremont streets on a Union County warrant for the charge of criminal mischief, second degree.

According to a Creston Police report, on June 20, a resident in the 700 block of North Walnut Street reported damage to a fence. Officers observed four fence posts had been cut at the base of each post with a saw of some sort. The victim had video of the incident. The footage from approximately 8:20 p.m. May 31, shows a male, identified as Hicks, walk behind the fence with a small battery-powered saw in his hand. Hicks stayed behind the fence for a short time during which his head is seen moving from fence post to fence post.

The victim had a local construction company provided an estimate to repair the fence for $1,961.21.

Hicks was transported to the Union County Jail where he was released from after posting $5,000 cash or surety bond.

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Jacob M. Erskine, 37, of Creston, was taken into custody 6:53 p.m. June 24, at the Union County Law Enforcement Center on a Union County warrant for the charge of OWI, first offense.

According to a Creston Police report, at approximately 11:59 p.m. May 29, a 2005 Audi was stopped at Division and Devoe streets for failing to have working taillights. Contact was made with the driver, identified as Erskine, who was observed to have dilated pupils, bloodshot, watery eyes, large heat bumps on the back of his tongue and the odor of marijuana coming from his person. Erskine admitted to smoking marijuana approximately 20 minutes before being stopped. When asked how high he felt on a scale of one to 10, Erskine rated himself at a four or five.

Erskine consented to field sobriety testing and ARIDE testing where he showed numerous validated clues of impairment and indicators of impairment. He consented to provide a urine specimen which was sent to the DCI lab for testing.

A toxicology report was received June 20 which showed a positive screen for marijuana metabolites and tricyclics.

Erskine was transported to the Union County Jail where he was released from after posting $1,000 cash or surety bond.