Nakeeha McCroskey
Three local men with serious criminal records faced federal sentencing, and Nakeeha McCroskey got 87 months and Cramell Oattes 78 months.
The case against Thaddeus Daniel was delayed because Judge Curtis Collier realized he had acted in a case involving him when he was a federal prosecutor.
The three were arrested on charges of being felons in possession of firearms.
Attorney Paul Bergmann said McCroskey was once a gang member, but is now 37 years old and has renounced gang membership.
He said he wants to get out to be with his five-year-old daughter. He also has two children who are in college.
Oattes had faced a much longer time behind bars, but he was given credit for help in solving other case.
McCroskey was given a 23-year prison term in state court in 1995 after he entered a guilty plea to attempted first-degree murder. At the same time he was given eight years for armed robbery. He got out of prison early.
He was arrested in February 2009 on two counts of aggravated robbery and unlawfully carrying a weapon, but those charges were dismissed in the courtroom of Criminal Court Judge Rebecca Stern.
Oattes has an extensive criminal record dating to an attempted aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, evading arrest, attempted possession of crack cocaine for resale and theft in 2000 when he was 17.
He was charged with two counts of aggravated robbery in 2008, but those charges were dismissed.
In November 2009, Oattes and another man were arrested following a police pursuit along Highway 153 that ended in a crash near the exit ramp of Highways 58 and 153. Oattes and Kenneth Brooks were arrested after the vehicle that they were traveling in failed to negotiate an exit ramp and crashed into a small black car traveling from Highway 58 toward Bonny Oaks Drive. A second vehicle was struck after the initial impact of the first two.
Prior to the crash, police received a call of a burglary in progress at 1725 Bagwell Ave. Police were able to get a good suspect description and quickly locate them leaving the scene. During the pursuit, Oattes and Brooks were observed throwing a TV from their vehicle as they fled. In an attempt to end the pursuit quickly, an officer deployed spike strips, but the suspects were able to avoid them by exiting at the Highway 153/58 ramp.
Both Oattes and Brooks were charged with aggravated burglary, vandalism, theft over $500, felony evading and vehicular assault. Oattes was given a three-year sentence in that case in the courtroom of Judge Stern.
Daniel got a 12-year sentence in state court after he entered a guilty plea to six counts of aggravated robbery in 1995.
He faced a charge of first-degree murder and pleaded guilty to facilitation to commit first-degree murder. He got 20 years for that. He got out of prison early.
In 2008, Daniel was charged with two new counts of aggravated robbery as well as theft. The aggravated robbery charges were dismissed and he was convicted of theft in the courtroom of Judge Stern.
Daniel has new charges still pending in the courtroom of Criminal Court Judge Don Poole. They include possession of crack cocaine for resale, two counts of resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct.
Cramell Oattes