BUCYRUS, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—Galion Police Detective Darren Patrick was the final witness for the state in their case against Dakota Craft, 28, of Galion. Craft is facing multiple charges, including felonious assault, improperly discharging a firearm, intimidation of an attorney, victim, or witness, having weapons under disability, and tampering with evidence. He is accused of shooting into the home of the Perry family in Galion.
Detective Patrick, who has been with the Galion Police Department for eight years and served as a Detective for two years, testified that he arrived at the scene of the shooting on May 23, 2023, at around 6:30 am. Upon arrival, he found that the scene had already been secured by a patrol officer and another detective. Two bullets were found, one thought to be in the TV and another in a nightstand, but after examining them, only one bullet was located. The bullet that hit the TV traveled through screen. Patrick then returned to the scene and found the second bullet lodged in the bed where the residents were sleeping.
Shell casings were found on the sidewalk, in the street near the house, and to the left of the front door. Another round was discovered in the garage about a week later. Patrick stated that their focus was on finding the shooter and theyvsent the bullets to the BCI for identification.
Patrick testified that initially, the Perry family considered their cousin as a suspect, but later retracted that statement and suggested that it could be Victoria Loftis and her partner because they did not know who Dakota Craft was. The Perry family reported seeing a black car speeding away from the area. Police determined that it was just a resident running late for work. They confirmed this by checking the driver’s work time sheets and surveillance footage from a convenience store.
Based on the information obtained, Patrick went to Craft’s mother’s house to speak to him and Victoria Loftis about the shooting. Craft allowed them to search a sunroom but appeared nervous and the smell of marijuana was detected.
When asked for his phone number, Craft provided a number that traced back to his mother. Two phones belonging to Victoria Loftis were also tracked.
Patrick attempted to obtain a Google search warrant for Craft’s phone but did not have the necessary information. At that point, there was no specific data linking Craft to the scene of the shooting. However, in late June, while Loftis was in jail, it was discovered through the jail’s system that she and Craft were exchanging messages and calls. Loftis was taken on a furlough from the jail to show the police where Craft had allegedly dumped the gun, but it was not found. Loftis informed the police that Craft likely sold it.
The prosecution argued that Craft had two weeks to dispose of the gun and believed that he suspected Loftis would not remain silent.
Craft was arrested on July 13th with the assistance of the Crawford County Special Response Team. He refused to provide the passcode to his phone. Craft initially agreed to a lie detector test but later expressed concerns about failing it due to an elevated heart rate caused by steroid use.
During the interrogation, Craft claimed that he was with Loftis to help her get off drugs. However, evidence of drug purchases and attempted purchases was found on his phone. Craft denied shooting the house, despite the department receiving credible tips implicating him. When asked again for the passcode to his phone, Craft dismissed the importance of it , stating that it was a cheap device.
Detective Patrick testified that evidence of drug purchases, including through the mail, was found on Craft’s phone, and he was the only person using it. Craft was also found to have searched various websites related to the shooting on the day it occurred. In recorded conversations from jail, Craft can be heard instructing his mother on how to delete messages from a phone, and he mentioned that he knew Loftis was talking to the police.
During cross-examination, the defense suggested that tipsters or informants could have obtained information from news articles covering the shooting. Detective Patrick reviewed the Facebook pages of the Galion Police Department and Crawford County Now but found no information about the number of shots fired. However, Loftis knew this detail.
After Patrick’s testimony, the state rested its case. The defense made a motion to dismiss the charges against Craft, but it was denied by Judge Sean Leuthold. The defense also rested its case. Closing arguments are scheduled for Tuesday morning.