The Chadron, Neb. police announced Friday that the four -- 24-year-old Luke G. Zeiger; Cooper J. Cogdill, 22; William "Billy" Cogdill, 21; and Chance J. Helmick, 21 -- were arrested on warrants charging them with hazing, a Nebraska Class II misdemeanor, as well as third-degree assault, a Class I misdemeanor.
Chadron police had been notified of an off-campus incident outside a local residence on Sept. 9. A brief video shows an unidentified male taking a drink, then taking a punch in the face by an individual identified by the Chadron student newspaper, The Eagle, as Helmick. After receiving the blow, the victim raised his arms in celebration while a crowd cheered.
After an investigation that took four weeks, the Chadron police department submitted the results to a special prosecutor, Jamian J. Simmons, assigned to the case for review. On Friday, Simmons issued arrest warrants and the four men were taken into custody, the Scottsbluff (Neb.) Star-Herald reported Friday. The former CSC student/athletes were transported to the Dawes County jail, where bond was set at 10 percent of $10,000. Each posted bond by late Friday and was released.
The four wrestlers had been dismissed from the CSC Eagles wrestling team about two weeks after the alleged incident.
Two of the former CSC wrestlers -- Chance Helmick, and Cooper Cogdill -- won RMAC (Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) titles at 174 pounds and heavyweight, respectively. By placing third at the conference championships, Helmick qualified to participate at the 2017 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships.
Helmick, a junior at Chadron State, had been a two-time Nebraska high school state champion wrestler for Beatrice High School. Cooper Cogdill, a junior from Chadron, had been a Nebraska state tournament finalist. Cooper's brother Willy, a sophomore who had wrestled at 184, transferred to CSC after one year at the University of Wyoming.
Chadron State College is a four-year state school located in the western panhandle of Nebraska. Founded in 1911, Chadron State has an enrollment of 3,000 students. Its sports programs -- including the wrestling team -- compete in NCAA Division II.
UPDATE 10/24/17
The four accused wrestlers appeared in court Friday, entering pleas of not guilty to charges of hazing and assault. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Dec. 12.
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