Semi-automatic firearms, ammunition and generators are among 13 items the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office will sale at public auction next week.
Purchased illegally during a public corruptions scandal at the sheriff’s office, the items will be auctioned off at the County Annex building starting at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 9. A public viewing precedes the sale at 5 p.m.
“The items for sale are unauthorized purchases by former undersheriff Robin Cronk,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a recent Facebook post.
Auction items include an Armalite SASS .308 semi-automatic rifle, Springfield XD-S 45 3.3-inch semi-automatic handgun, two Honda generators, a Chevrolet Trailblazer GF performance chip, .17 caliber HMR rifle ammunition, holsters and other firearm accessories, an ATV plywood platform and carpet remnants.
In October, Cronk was ordered to pay $7,415 in restitution as a result of an embezzlement conviction. Proceeds from the auction will be deducted from the court’s restitution order.
At a restitution hearing, Spruell testified that Cronk was not authorized to make the purchases, and the illegally purchased items could not be used by his agency.
Cronk pleaded guilty to a felony embezzlement and misdemeanor official misconduct in March. He was subsequently sentenced to 30 days in jail and six months of probation.
Tapped as undersheriff in January 2011, Cronk launched his 26-month embezzlement scheme just one month later, bilking taxpayers for personal gunsmithing services, vehicle maintenance, holsters, generators, gun components, ammunition and firearms. He was forced to resign as undersheriff in June 2013.
Cronk’s criminal history dates back to 2000, when he was arrested and charged with burglary, trespass and animal cruelty by authorities in Scottsdale, Ariz. He later pleaded guilty to lesser charges in that case.
tbaker@cortezjournal.com