Saturday, August 4, 2007

Cody East is indicted, his parents are arrested

Clara Garcia News-Bulletin Staff Writer; cgarcia@news-bulletin.com

Cody East, a former state champion wrestler, was indicted Thursday on numerous counts of battery and child abuse for allegedly attacking and injuring several teenage girls at a drinking party at his parent's home in Las Maravillas.

His parents are also in jail on charges that they provided alcohol to minors at the party.

East, 19, was indicted by a Valencia County grand jury Thursday on two counts of aggravated battery against a household member for allegedly injuring two former girlfriends. He was also indicted on two other separate counts of battery for allegedly injuring two other teenage girls at the party, three counts of child abuse and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

The former Los Lunas High School athlete pleaded not guilty to the charges during an arraignment hearing in magistrate court. A hearing has not yet been scheduled in district court. He is currently being held at the Valencia County Adult Detention Center in Los Lunas on a $168,500 cash or surety bond.

His parents, Terry East, 44, and Dollie East, 45, are both being held on four counts of selling or giving alcohol to minors, one count of conspiracy of giving alcohol to a minor and four counts of abandonment or abuse of a child. They both have pleaded not guilty to the charges and are being held on $50,000 cash or surety bonds.

The younger East was arrested on July 24 after what police say was an all-day drinking party at his parent's home on Rosas Avenue in Las Maravillas. Police said party began at 9 a.m.

According to the criminal complaint, during the course of the party, Cody East began to break windows and doors. When his father intervened, Cody took him to the ground and punched him and kicked him twice in the head. He has not been charged in connection with that allegation.

When other people attempted to intervene, they were beaten, police allege. One of the girls, identified as one of East's former girlfriends, confronted Cody outside and she was pushed to the ground, the complaint charges.

"Cody came back to her a short time later and picked her up over his head and body slammed her, throwing her to the ground," the complaint says. The girl's arm was broken.

Other criminal complaints charge that East hurt another former girlfriend, a 15-year-old, by getting on top of her and punching her while she was unconscious and unable to defend herself.

East is also charged with punching another girl, a 13-year-old, in the face and breaking her nose.

"He had invited some of his current and or past girlfriends and they were all at the house," Jones said. "Another female he had been interested in came to the house, and it caused a problem between the other females that were there."

Jones said different fights broke out among the people who were at the house. He said that's when East became angry and started breaking things inside the house.

When deputies arrived at the scene, they alleged, East was holding a knife in a threatening manner and acting as if he was going to hurt himself or others with it.

"He told us that he was at the point that he wanted cops to kill him," Jones said. "He said that he had gone too far and that he was going to make the cops take him out."

East was taken into custody and was admitted to Anna Kaseman Hospital to be treated for injuries to his right hand and for a psychological examination. Jones said the Albuquerque hospital released East four hours later.

East turned himself in to the Valencia County sheriff's deputies the next morning.

Terry and Dollie East were both taken into custody a week later, according to Valencia County Sheriff's Detective Lt. James Purdy. Terry East was arrested for allegedly driving on a revoked or suspended license, and his wife was taken into custody on a warrant for failure to appear in municipal court.

Criminal complaints were filed the following morning charging them with giving alcohol to minors. According to the court documents, several of the juveniles who attended the party reported that both Terry and Dollie East served them alcohol.

"It was later learned that Cody gave his mother money, and she and (two of the female teens) accompanied her to the Crystal Ranch Liquor Store in Los Lunas where they purchased a fifth of Southern Comfort liquor, a fifth of banana rum liquor and an unknown quantity of Budweiser beer," the complaint says.

"The alcohol was then brought back to the home where Cody, Terry and Dollie served these children and minors," the complaint charges. "These children and minors later became intoxicated with Cody, Terry and Dollie East when a disturbance occurred over previous and current girlfriends of Cody East who showed up at the house."

E-mail this story Printer-friendly version