FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 15, 2010
CONTACT: Erica Derryck, DA Harris’ Office, (415) 553-1167
50-year-old San Francisco Resident Sentenced for Elder Abuse and Assault
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – District Attorney Kamala D. Harris announced today that Michael Croslin, age 50, was sentenced to three years in state prison after being convicted of elder abuse and assault by a jury.
The sentence was handed down by the Honorable James Collins on July 14, 2010. The conviction followed a two-week trial before Judge Collins. After two days of deliberation, the jury convicted the defendant of attacking the 67-year-old victim with a cane, resulting in lacerations to his head and a broken hand.
The incident occurred on October 23, 2009, when both the defendant and the victim were engaged in drug use at the victim’s apartment in Noe Valley. An argument ensued and the defendant attacked the victim with a cane and yelled, “I should kill you.” Despite suffering injuries to his head and hand, the victim, a stroke survivor, managed to escape his apartment and contact a neighbor who called the police.
Defendant Croslin, of San Francisco, was consequently arrested on October 23, 2009. He was charged with attempted murder with an allegation of causing great bodily injury in violation of Penal Code Section 664/187, assault, also with an allegation of great bodily injury in violation of Penal Code Section 245, and assault on an elder in violation of Penal Code Section 368, as well as criminal threats in violation of Penal Code Section 422. The jury found the defendant guilty of assault and elder abuse, but did not find true the allegations of great bodily injury or the charges of criminal threats and attempted murder.
Defendant Croslin’s defense attorney argued that he was not responsible for the attack because defendant Croslin was high at the time of the incident. The defendant alleged that he had been drugged by the victim. However, Linda Moore, the Assistant District Attorney who prosecuted the case, insisted that the victim, who only had use of one hand as a result of a recent stroke, did not provoke the attack and that the defendant had freely consumed drugs.
The prosecution of this defendant is the result of an investigation by SFPD Inspector Michael Koniaris. The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office Victim Witness Advocate assigned to the case is Monica Tan and Linda Moore is the prosecutor.
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