Montezuma County Sheriff’s deputies responded Dec. 23 to a home in Lewis after receiving a report of three men who had caused a disturbance at a Christmas party.
Just after midnight, a man reported he and his wife had hosted a party that evening that ended in a cornhole tournament behind their house, which was located in the 12000 block of the County Road 23.25 loop.
During the game, in which players toss small bags similar to beanbags at or into a hole in the top of a box, one man reportedly punched another in the face, the report said. He then reportedly punched the owner of the house after he tried to break up the fight, knocking him unconscious for “several minutes,” according to a witness.
Although witnesses did not immediately press charges against the suspect, he was later arrested on suspicion of assault.
According to the incident report written by patrol deputy Bryan Hill, all the adults at the party were drinking alcohol before the incident. A party guest named Rodney Woody reportedly punched one of the other guests, Roudy Hampton, as he was leaving, knocking him to the ground, then continued to punch him while he lay on the ground. The homeowner, Brice Rogers, said he separated the two men, but Woody continued to shout profanities at the guests, so he asked him to leave. Woody then reportedly punched him in the face, causing him to “black out.”
The other party guests then reportedly forced Woody to leave the property.
Hill reported that Rogers appeared to have a black eye, and Hampton had a broken tooth and swollen jaw. They both refused medical attention.
Deputies collected blood-stained gravel from the driveway where the fight occurred as evidence, but both Rogers and Hampton declined to press charges at first, saying they had been friends with Woody for a long time. Hampton reportedly said he wasn’t sure why Woody had started the fight.
According to incident reports, Hampton’s wife contacted the Sheriff’s Office on Dec. 28, saying her husband had decided to press charges against Woody. Hampton had reportedly been diagnosed with a fractured jaw after the Dec. 23 incident, leaving him temporarily unable to speak, and had missed several days of work due to his injury.
Woody was arrested Dec. 31 on a warrant for assault, according to Sheriff Steven Nowlin. According to Hill’s incident reports, Woody had been arrested several times in the past eight years on suspicion of assault and harassment.
This article was reposted on Jan. 2 to clarify the crime for which Rodney Woody was arrested.