After more than two years on the run, a Craig man is back in Moffat County Jail awaiting further punishment on multiple felony charges stemming from two separate 2018 incidents.

Dustin James Crowder, 44, was booked into Moffat County Jail on Monday, March 2 after being transported to the area from a jail in Arizona, where he was arrested for an unrelated offense.

Crowder went on the run in late February 2018 following an incident at WalMart in which he approached a worker on break impersonating a manager’s son, telling the worker to call a woman in Denver and request she wire $150-$200 to the Walmart in Craig so that he could pick up his son and transport him to her in Denver. Crowder told the worker, who was later found to be autistic, to say that he was a police officer from the Craig Police Department in the call.

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Shortly after the phone call, the woman reported the incident to the police, leading to contact with the worker at Walmart. The worker later identified the male who asked him to make the call as Crowder, who was out on bond for felony assault charges with a knife and strangulation, as well as four cases of child abuse, and one case of domestic violence.

On Feb. 21, 2018, Crowder and his ex-girlfriend got into an argument at the ex-girlfriend’s apartment. The ex was letting Crowder stay there for a few days because he was homeless at the time.

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During the argument, Crowder choked the woman and left bruises, and also threatened to stab her with a knife. Crowder allegedly did all of that in front of his children, who were in the home at the time.

Following the Feb. 21 arrest, Crowder made bond on Feb. 22, and one day later impersonated a peace officer during the incident at Walmart, setting off a search for him in the area.

Unable to track him down, Craig Police put out an arrest warrant for felony bail bond violations and felony solicitation on Feb. 23. Crowder was on the run until late Feb. 2020 when he was detained in Arizona. Shortly after, Crowder was transported back to Moffat County and booked into jail.

During a bail advisement hearing on March 2, Crowder’s bond was increased from roughly $20,750 for the two separate incidents up to $50,000. He is currently still in custody at Moffat County Jail and is awaiting arraignment.

jcarney@craigdailypress.com