CRAWFORD COUNTY, MO – A woman was arrested on Monday after allegedly stealing a phone from a person who is non-verbal due to a medical condition.
The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office said the victim came to the station to report that Kelly Ann Lesmeister, 45, of Cuba, Missouri, had forcibly taken their phone earlier that morning. The victim, unable to speak, communicated with deputies using written notes.
According to court documents, Lesmeister ripped the phone out of the victim’s hands and did not return it. Deputies later questioned Lesmeister at her home, where she admitted to the theft in a post-Miranda interview.
Lesmeister also told deputies she had thrown the phone into a lake, claiming she believed the victim was possessed by a demon.
The phone was valued between $250 and $350.
Lesmeister was charged with Stealing – Physically Take and booked into the Crawford County Jail with a $5,000 bond.
