By Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily
greg@cowboystatedaily.com
An alert coffee barista in Cody helped catch a serial drive-thru flasher by pouring a cup of hot water in his lap.
The man, 34-year-old Andrew C. Crawford of Cody, is a repeat registered sex offender who couldn’t keep his pants zipped as he flashed workers at a pair of Rocky Mountain Mudd Hut coffee kiosks in Cody at least five times between Sept. 14 and Nov. 2.
Crawford remains in the Park County Detention Center on a $50,000 bond facing five misdemeanor charges of public indecency and a felony failure to register as a sex offender charge, according to the Park County Circuit and District courts.
A Disturbing Pattern
Crawford is accused of going through the drive-thru of the coffee huts and exposing his genitals to female workers multiple times.
It’s a disturbing pattern that owner Myles Haines said he takes “very personal.”
That it happened multiple times at two locations is a sign Haines said makes him feel that Crawford’s alleged actions “were very intentional, and it was very targeted. It happened four or five times before the warrant was served” and Crawford was arrested.
Caught
Although the Cody Police Department installed video surveillance and watched the coffee kiosks, it was difficult to catch Crawford because he was a regular customer, but wouldn’t flash workers all the time, Haines said.
“He would do it, but then wouldn’t do it for two weeks, but he was an everyday customer,” he said.
On the morning of Nov. 2, one of the baristas working the Rocky Mountain Mudd Hut location on Yellowstone Avenue recognized Crawford’s vehicle in the drive-thru line, Haines said.
“She recognized the vehicle ahead of time, took the customer’s drink order,” he said. “When she turned her back to make the drink – but she had already started (video) recording when she saw the vehicle.”
The man exposed himself again, but this time the barista was ready.
“In the time it took handing him the drink and getting change is when the cup of water happened,” Haines said.
The woman threw a cup of 170-degree water through Crawford’s window and into his lap, he said.
Not The First Time
Like many small coffee shops, Haines said his employs mostly women, and sometimes they’re subjected to unwanted advances or flashes.
“Sadly, this isn’t the first time this has happened, and sadly this probably won’t be the last time this will happen,” Haines said, adding that he’s “very proud of the employees.”
“I’ve got some of the best employees,” he added. “They’ve been here a long time and I’ve very lucky to have the staff I do.
“I take it very personal that the girls feel safe with what they do. I need them to be safe, and if they’re not I take it very personal.”
Appreciates Response
Haines also said he’s thankful for the effort and work the Cody Police Department put into catching and arresting Crawford.
“Our police department did really well and acted fast,” he said. “He wasn’t threatening and hadn’t touched anybody and wasn’t violent, but he is a repeat offender and a registered offender.”
While Crawford allegedly had only flashed the coffee workers before being arrested, there’s always a chance his behavior could have escalated to something more dangerous, Haines said.
Prior to his recent arrest, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation’s sex offender registry lists Crawford as having a 2012 conviction in Arizona for possession of child pornography.
He’s been arraigned and awaits a Feb. 15 status conference hearing on his case in Park County Circuit Court.
