Columbia businesswoman charged with arson now wearing ankle bracelet; posts $65,000 bond

A well-known Columbia restaurant owner charged with arson in southeast Missouri’s Kennett has posted a $65,000 cash bond, and is now wearing an ankle bracelet.

43-year-old Crystal Umfress, who owns the popular Casa Maria’s Mexican cantina on Grindstone Parkway, is charged with second degree arson in Dunklin County.

The Dunklin County prosecutor, Nicholas Jain, tells 939 the Eagle that Ms. Umfress posted the $65,000 bond on Tuesday, adding that Judge John Spielman required the bond to be posted in open court and that she be outfitted with the ankle bracelet. Umfress waived formal arraignment, as she appeared in court with her Poplar Bluff-based defense attorney Daniel Moore.

Her next court appearance is set for December 5 in Kennett, which is a town of about 10,000 residents in the Bootheel.

The Kennett Police Department’s six-page probable cause statement against Umfress says a witness provided authorities with multiple text messages from Umfress, one allegedly telling her “you got to get this taken care of” and another asking if the witness would “promise.” Those alleged texts were set on July 9, one day before the restaurant fire.