Police in Wisconsin say they arrested the 42-year-old estranged spouse of a woman reported missing last month for fraudulently using her credit cards to purchase $6,000 in cleaning products.
According to the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office, a relative informed deputies on June 23 about Crystal Rasch’s disappearance from her rural Clyman home. Sheriff Dale J. Schmidt said Rasch’s stepmother called the police after noticing her car in her driveway but was unable to locate it. The stepmother was also unable to reach Rasch on her phone. Rasch has not been seen since June 11.
Deputies arrested her estranged husband, Zachariah Rasch, on Friday after discovering that he was reportedly using her credit cards fraudulently. He is charged with eight counts of illegal use of an individual’s personally identifiable information.
“The sheriff’s office continues to investigate the disappearance of Crystal Rasch and while it remains a missing person investigation, given the information that has been discovered and made public today, we also treat this as a case in which a serious felony has likely been committed,” according to a news release.
According to a criminal complaint acquired by Milwaukee ABC station WISN, Zachariah Rasch spent almost $6,000 on cleaning materials such as gloves, drain, and carpet cleaners. He also apparently purchased car and floor cleaners, air fresheners, and a drain opener. According to the affidavit, he initially denied making the transactions but finally confessed to officers after being shown surveillance photographs of him buying the products.
During a check of his residence, cops allegedly discovered more than $3,000 in cash in a drawer and his wallet. Detectives tapped Crystal Rasch’s two cell phones. It allegedly resulted in the finding of an automobile registered to her at the residence of one of her husband’s cousins. Officers hauled the automobile in for processing. The affidavit stated that the other phone was last seen near Juneau, Wisconsin, on June 8.
Zachariah Rasch is in the Dodge County Jail on a $250,000 bond. His next court hearing is planned for Wednesday.
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