Police: Wife of suspect killed in Chandler officer-involved shooting accused of drug-related offenses
Krystal Denean Ehlich
CHANDLER, Ariz. - Chandler Police officials say the wife of the suspect killed in an officer-involved shooting on Monday has also been arrested.
According to Chandler Police spokesperson Seth Tyler on Monday, the incident started when the officer attempted a traffic stop near a hotel off of the I-10. Within a few minutes, the officer called for backup. Responding officers found a Prius that had crashed into a wall. The distressed officer was inside the Prius along with a man and a woman.
Kevin Smallman
Investigators say the officer was knocked unconscious during an altercation and fired his weapon. The officer came to when officers pulled him out of the vehicle. The suspect in the shooting was identified as 32-year-old Kevin Smallman.
On Wednesday, Tyler said Smallman's wife, Krystal Denean Ehrlich, has been booked into the Maricopa County Jail Tuesday night and accused of two drug-related offenses.
Meanwhile, court documents also revealed additional details surrounding the incident. Investigators say the car involved in the incident was discovered to be stolen from Chandler, and was sporting a stolen license plate from a different, but unidentified jurisdiction. Inside, officers found a useable amount of meth in a small zip bag, and the zip bag was found inside a zippered cosmetic case along with several used syringes, spoons, and lighters.
Police say during an interview, Ehrlich admitted to using the car with Smallman for the past several weeks, and that Smallman obtained the car from one of his friends from the casino.
Investigators say while Ehrlich did not specifically talk about the meth or the drug paraphernalia, she did confirm that she had property inside the car.
Court records show Ehrlich is homeless, and is currently on probation. She also has prior convictions for DUI, burglary, trafficking, narcotics possession, and drug paraphernalia possession. She is accused of possessing dangerous drugs and possessing drug paraphernalia.