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PROVO — An Eagle Mountain man told police he was selling drugs so he could pay for his attorney in another case, court documents show.
Jayce McKay Crook, 24, was charged Monday in 4th District Court with marijuana distribution, a second-degree felony; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor.
Last Wednesday, Provo police and agents from Adult Probation and Parole developed information that Crook was selling drugs, according to charging documents. Crook was on probation at the time after being convicted of drug distribution in March.
Police arrested him after making an undercover drug buy on the street near a residence in Provo that they believed he was living at, the charges state. They then took Crook back to the residence they believed was his.
“Officers went to the door, but no one answered. Concerned that evidence was being destroyed, officers entered the home. Shortly after entering the home, (probation agents) and officers realized it was the wrong home,” according to charging documents.
With guns drawn, police entered and encountered a man coming out of the bathroom who put his hands up, Utah County Sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Cannon said. There were a total of four men in the house. Police determined within a minute that the men had “no connection whatsoever” to Crook, Cannon said.
Detectives learned that Crook had provided a false address to the probation office and was actually living across the street, according to a police affidavit.
“By providing AP&P and detectives the wrong address and failing to say anything prior to detectives entering the home, Jayce placed the lives of four individuals at risk of serious injuries or even death,” the affidavit states.
On the way to jail, the defendant said he was only selling marijuana so that he could pay for his attorney in a pending rape case.
–Charges
When police went to the Provo address where Crook was staying, they found marijuana and other THC products, the charges state.
“On the way to the jail, the defendant said he was only selling marijuana so that he could pay for his attorney in a pending rape case,” the charges state.
Crook was charged in May with rape and sexual battery for an incident that allegedly happened in 2018, according to charging documents. The next court hearing, in that case, is scheduled for Tuesday.
