Suspect mistakenly released last week turns himself in

A 23-year-old man who was mistakenly released from jail after approval by a judge to withdraw a guilty plea last week surrendered to authorities Tuesday.

Robert Craciun had faced deportation to his native Romania after he took a deal from prosecutors that allowed him to plead guilty to attempted possession of a stolen vehicle and then violated the conditions of his probation.

District Judge James Bixler ruled last week that because Craciun's lawyers did not emphasize that he could be deported, the defendant was allowed to withdraw the guilty plea and stand trial on one count of possession of a stolen vehicle and two counts of possession of a stolen credit card.

A trial date was set for Jan. 28.

If convicted, Craciun faces one to 13 years in prison and could still be deported.

He is being held on $250,000 bail at the Clark County Detention Center.

Meanwhile, Craciun could face new charges. Prosecutors are seeking a grand jury indictment against him, alleging possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, possession of a controlled substance and possession of dangerous drugs without a prescription in a separate case.

After receiving notice of the grand jury proceedings, defense lawyer Andrew Scott Flahive said, "I would hope the district attorney's office does not pursue this case any more harshly or lightly than it would any other case just because Judge Bixler granted a motion protecting Robert's constitutional rights."

Prosecutors declined to comment because the case is ongoing.

Craciun emigrated from Romania with his mother when he was 4 years old, and never became a U.S. citizen.

Craciun said he would rather stay in jail then be deported. He doesn't speak Romanian and doesn't know anyone there, Flahive said.

Federal immigration authorities released Craciun from custody last week after his deportation case was dropped because of Bixler's ruling.

Bixler had ordered Craciun be held on $250,000 bail because the defendant still had to stand trial on the three felony counts.

While out of custody, Craciun, through his Facebook page, posted comments about his case on the Review-Journal website.

Craciun said he made "stupid mistakes" in the wake of losing his stepfather to lung cancer. "Yes I made some bad decisions and could've handled it differently but I was 21 and got into some recreational drug usage. I wasn't using my head and convinced myself that I was in control."

He said he planned on turning himself in because he did not want to jeopardize any chance of seeing his family.

"I guess I got blessed to hug my mother and the rest of my loved ones again before having to go back in," he said.

Craciun has had several run-ins with authorities because of drug use.

Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.