Ronald Michael Hitchcock, accused of the 2012 murder of Deborah Ann Crouch, will now have a disposition/reset hearing on Tuesday, January 27, after the case was continued by stipulation. (File Photo)
San Bernardino, CA – The case against Big Bear murder suspect Ronald Michael Hitchcock, 58, has been continued until Tuesday, January 27, by stipulation. Hitchcock, who is being held at the West Valley Detention Center on $1 million bail, appeared in court December 4 before Judge J. David Mazurek for a pre-trail hearing.
The fact the January 27 a disposition/reset hearing was scheduled rather than a pre-trial hearing could once again signal a plea bargain may be close in the murder of Erwin Lake resident, Deborah Ann Crouch, 53. That hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. in Department S-16.
THE 2012 CASE
Hitchcock is facing the two felony charges after Crouch’s body and that of a dog were retrieved from a submerged car in Big Bear Lake on September 15, 2012.
Big Bear Sheriff’s deputies responded to the Swim Beach area of Meadow Park about 6 a.m. on that date, and made contact with a man (Hitchcock) — who was inside the fencing at Swim Beach and yelling — he explained his vehicle had crashed through the locked front gate and into the lake, according to a media advisory issued at the time by the Big Bear Station.
Sheriff’s Aviation’s 40-King was dispatched about 7 a.m. and once over the scene mapped the GPS coordinates of the car’s location. The car was located about 20 yards out from the beach.
Members of the department’s dive team went into Big Bear Lake and found the vehicle, which contained the female victim (Crouch) and a dog. They were both pronounced deceased at the scene.
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department homicide detectives were summoned to the scene and, following their investigation — which included a search of Crouch’s residence on E Lane in Erwin Lake — arrested Hitchcock on suspicion of murder.
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