Listeners to our statewide radio talk show remember a caller who would regularly call in to the show as “Joe from Helena.” Joe’s actual name was Mike Crites, and roughly a year ago he was brutally murdered. At first, Crites was reported as missing, up until a gruesome discovery on McDonald Pass last October revealed Crites remains hidden inside garbage bags.
Now, an arrest has been made that police say is indirectly related to the murder, while Crites’ family gathered recently in Helena to remember a lost brother, son, and uncle.
KXLH-TV has this:
John Raymond Mehan of Birdseye is being held on $250,000 bond for tampering with evidence and trespassing.
He allegedly trespassed on the property of a neighbor and removed trail cameras that the Sheriff’s office was using to collect evidence in investigating John Michael Crites’ disappearance and death.
Here’s more, from The Helena Independent Record:
Prosecutors allege Mehan, who has been at the center of much of the contention along the Birdseye-area road, took down cameras owned by a another neighbor that were being used by the sheriff’s office as part of the Mike Crites investigation.
“He has some information that is pertinent to the case that has not been released to the public,” said Sgt. Dave Peterson, the lead detective in the case. He would not elaborate on that information.
KXLH: Family Gathers in Remembrance
On this anniversary of his disappearance, Mike’s family came to remember him by sending messages on balloons.
Connie said, “This has been tough, but I think as tough as it is, it’s going to be very, very, very important because it’s going to get people talking again. It’s going to get the word out that Mike Crites is not forgotten.”