Cops in Wisconsin say they arrested the 42-year-old estranged husband of a woman reported missing last month for illegally using her credit cards to buy $6,000 worth of cleaning supplies.
The Dodge County Sheriff’s said a relative contacted deputies on June 23 about the disappearance of 37-year-old Crystal Rasch from her rural Clyman home. Sheriff Dale J. Schmidt said Rasch’s stepmother called police after seeing her car in the driveway of her home but was nowhere to be found. The stepmother also couldn’t reach Rasch on her phone. Rasch hasn’t been seen since June 11.
On Friday, deputies arrested her estranged husband Zachariah Rasch after discovering he had been allegedly illegally using her credit cards. He is facing eight counts of unauthorized use of an individual’s personal identifying 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,” a press release said.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by Milwaukee ABC affiliate WISN, Zachariah Rasch spent about $6,000 on cleaning supplies including gloves and drain and carpet cleaners. He also reportedly bought car and floor cleaners, air fresheners and a drain opener. He at first denied making the purchases but eventually confessed to detectives once they showed him surveillance images of him buying the items, the affidavit reportedly said.
Cops also reportedly found over $3,000 in cash from a dresser and his wallet during a search of his home. Detectives pinged Crystal Rasch’s two cellphones. It reportedly led to the discovery of a car registered to her at the home of one of her husband’s relatives. Officers took the car in for processing. The other phone’s last known location was near Juneau, Wisconsin, on June 8, the affidavit reportedly said.
Zachariah Rasch is at the Dodge County Jail on a $250,000 bond. His next court hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.