JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The woman accused of being an accomplice in a Saturday burglary that ended with a deputy fatally shooting an armed suspect near David Park in Ponte Vedra Beach is facing over 13 criminal charges and made her first court appearance Sunday.
Crystal O’Neal stood before a judge Sunday morning in a dark blue jumpsuit while inside the St. John’s County Jail after she was arrested and charged with 14 felonies and two misdemeanor counts including 10 counts of burglary, possessing burglary tools, property damage and criminal mischief and traveling outside her county of residence to commit a burglary.
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According to St. Johns County Sheriff Robert Hardwick, the situation started at a storage facility when deputies responded to a call about a burglary on Palm Valley Road around 5:45 a.m.
Hardwick said when deputies arrived at the unit, they found O’Neal with burglary tools still at the facility. According to O’Neal’s arrest report, the lock on four units was cut with a bolt-cutter and items were scattered around.
The report said O’Neal was found with jewelry in her possession and told deputies Dustin Rush, 42, who had already left the facility, was armed.
She was taken into custody.
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Deputies began to search for another suspect in a pickup truck, who was later identified as Rush after he left the scene before they arrived.
Soon after, a deputy spotted the truck and pulled it over under the Palm Valley Bridge. Hardwick said Rush, struggled with the deputy and then sped away, initiating a chase that ended when the deputy performed a PIT maneuver that sent the pickup truck spinning into a small retention pond near the park about 5.5 miles from the storage unit.
Rush jumped out of the disabled vehicle and ran toward the sports complex soccer fields where multiple youth events were happening with a handgun, causing several deputies to pursue him, Hardwick said. The sheriff said Rush did not listen to the deputies’ commands while he was still armed with the handgun and was ultimately shot and taken to the hospital where he died.
Hardwick said Rush posed a genuine threat to the families at the park.
No deputies were hit by gunfire.
Hardwick said investigators will review body-worn camera footage, shell casings and ballistics to determine if the suspect fired his weapon. Witnesses told News4JAX they did see the man fire his gun at deputies.
O’Neal requested to have a public defender appointed to her. The judge did not state when O’Neal’s next court appearance was scheduled.