Woman sentenced in two assault cases
A Butler woman was sentenced to county jail on Thursday, after previously pleading guilty to assault in two robbery cases — including one with a machete.
Tiffany A. Crawford, 32, was sentenced to a total of nine to 18 months in Butler County Prison followed by two years of probation by President Judge Thomas Doerr.
She was also ordered to pay court costs and restitution.
Crawford pleaded guilty on Jan. 9 to two misdemeanor counts of simple assault and one count of prohibited offensive weapons.
She was initially charged with felony robbery, misdemeanor simple assault, disorderly conduct and possession of marijuana after an incident that began at an apartment on Pillow Street in Butler on June 4; and felony robbery, aggravated assault, conspiracy to aggravated assault, misdemeanor simple assault and possession of a prohibited offensive weapon after an incident on June 26 on East Wayne Street.
Butler police filed the charges in both cases, on June 4. Police said Crawford took $10 from another woman's purse after accusing that woman of stealing money from her and making her partially disrobe, believing she had hidden the money.
Crawford then reportedly hit the woman and held her down, strangling her before she was able to run to the nearby Papa John's Pizza shop on West Cunningham Street to get help.
There, Crawford again attacked the woman, dragging her outside. The two were found fighting in the middle of the street when police arrived.
In the June 26 incident Crawford was charged along with Michelle L. Kaiser, 46, and Anthony F. Perez, 40, both of Butler.
Police said the three lured another woman to an East Wayne Street apartment and robbed her while Crawford held a machete to her throat, stealing more than $200 out of her bra, police said.
The victim was treated at Butler Memorial Hospital for cuts to her neck and hand, and other injuries.
Crawford, Kaiser and Perez were later stopped in a vehicle that was pulled over as part of an ongoing unrelated burglary investigation.
During the stop, police said a machete was found in the back seat and removed for officer safety, when the suspect description for the robbery call came in, matching the three suspects in the vehicle.
Both Kaiser and Perez were charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, and Kaiser was also charged with criminal use of a communication facility.
Perez pleaded guilty to misdemeanor simple assault and was sentenced to time served to 18 months in Butler County Prison, given credit for 158 days of time served and immediately paroled by Judge Timothy McCune. He was also ordered to pay restitution, a $100 fine and court costs.
Kaiser awaits further court proceedings after she was released in November on nonmonetary bail.
