New Florida basketball commit Cody Larson to make scheduled court appearance on Tuesday

By Adam Silverstein
May 11, 2010

One of the Florida Gators’ five incoming 2010 commitments, three-star power forward Cody Larson (Sioux Falls, SD), is facing a scheduled court appearance Tuesday for a misdemeanor drug charge dating back to February.

According to court documents, Larson was found with Hydrocodone (pain killer) in his home while the Sioux Falls Police Department was investigating extensive prescription drug abuse at Roosevelt High School.

Larson, 18, had injured his ankle in January and was suspended from the team after being charged with a misdemeanor for being in a room where it is known that drugs are stored and utilized. His teammate, Grant Wynia, 18, was charged with illegal use of the same prescription drug.

The Argus Leader reports that Larson’s charge can be punished with a year in jail, a $2,000 fine or a maximum of both. He is most likely looking at probation.

Larson’s commitment to the Gators came after his arrest, and the team’s coaches and administration knew about the issue before taking on the player, according to University of Florida assistant athletics director Fred Demarest.

“The [Larson] family was forthcoming and honest with us during the recruiting process, and the University of Florida was aware,” Demarest told Keoland TV on Monday.

UPDATE: Larson did not appear in Minnehaha County court on Tuesday but his lawyer, Dick Travis, was there representing him. According to the Leader, Larson’s motions are due June 1, he can make a plea deal up until June 15 and his trial is set for June 22.

Photo Credit: Des Moines Register

OGGOA: Three’s a charm: Cody Larson commits to Gators

10 Comments

  1. G8R8U2 says:

    “OGGOA will update you with the verdict when it is rendered.”

    Why?

  2. DC Gator says:

    Busting a kid for hydrocodone in his own house? Wow. At least he was actually injured; I just used that stuff for fun in high school.

    I can’t imagine this will actually go to court if the Larsons have even the slightest resources/contacts.

  3. Well it’s not just that. I believe the point is that he let friends in to illegally use the prescription medication there. It is relatively minor but still punishable. I don’t see how he gets any more than a fine and probation.

  4. Donnie wise says:

    With the surge in perscription pain killer abuse law enforcement has come down hard on shareing of drugs. The schools here in Portland Oregon have implemented testing for several diffrent painkillers on there sports teams. This year alone 3 kids have died from od on oxycontin.

  5. Chapparrel says:

    Adam,
    This is not a story. There is no case. Cody was not taking the medications his roomate was. This was a ‘guilt by association’ charge, and nothing more. If this is a serious matter Cody would have been charged with possession and intent to distribute. Not the case here.

    This is a horrible article Adam and it’s almost a hit job on this kid. Plus you purely speculating on what this kid did or didn’t do!

    This is Vicodin for God’s sakes not Oxycontin or Methadone.

  6. Chapparel-

    Thanks for commenting. I respect your opinion, but I did not arrest Larson, I did not charge him with anything, I did not make the law and I am not calling him guilty or innocent. I did not even initially report the story – his hometown papers did (as sourced in the post). It appears that your disagreement resides in the arrest itself – for that you should blame the Sioux Falls police, not the messenger.

    The facts in the article above are: (a) he is scheduled for a court appearance, (b) court documents say what he was charged with, (c) what punishment the law can provide him, (d) that UF knew about the incident and believes it is not a big deal and (e) his upcoming court dates. There is no opinion in the article and no slander about his guilt or innocence.

    In no way, shape or form is this a “hit job.” It is simply stating and presenting the case that he is involved in. It is a story – 100 percent. And I am not “purely speculating” on anything. He was charged for a reason. If he’s found innocent – he’s innocent. If he’s found guilty – he’ll get a slap on the wrist because, as you said, it is really a non-case.

    I am not sure why you took it for anything other than that and are implying that this article was out of line. It was not in any way. It was a factual piece on the charges he is facing just like every other “arrest” article has been that we or any other major media outlet (AP, various newspapers, etc.) have printed. Perhaps read it again?

    Adam

  7. Chapparrel says:

    Adam, you just said it yourself, he is gonna get a slap on the wrist, so why do this story? Why put an 17 year old on trial in the state he will be playing in before he even gets here?

    If I didn’t know of Cody and associated with another team I would think Billy recruited Tom Sizemore to the Florida Gators.

    Adam, I am not implying there is no truth to the police reports ETC, I am implying that this has NO merit at all on Larson coming to play for Florida to begin his collegiate career. Had he done something like a hit and run, or something serious, I may cover it, but this is a kid Adam who did nothing, and instead of “blogging” about the full recruiting class and the seniors returning, you choose to post a misdeamor at best. And for what?

  8. Chapparrel-

    So because my *opinion* is that he will get a slap on the wrist, that means that I should not report the *facts* of what is going on with one of the Gators’ new commitments to OGGOA’s readers?

    First, you criticized me for doing a hit job, slandering and speculating – none of which I did and none of which you have refuted the second time around.

    OGGOA is NOT putting him on trial. You seem to think that just because we reported the *facts* of what is going on in his case that we are somehow calling him a drug abuser and saying he is bad for the program. NO SUCH THING was said or implied. This is all in your mind. All we are doing is telling you what is going on – keeping you informed – just like EVERY OTHER Gators news outlet.

    Perhaps you should write into the Gainesville Sun – the newspaper that goes out to hundreds of thousands of people in the state of Florida and specifically the city where UF is located – and ask them why they wrote a story on the EXACT SAME subject.

    I understand that you may not think the story is newsworthy. The vast majority of readers do not share your opinion. You are trying to “blame” or “indict” OGGOA for covering a topic that is being widely covered and reported by much larger and much more important outlets. All I, as the author here, am simply doing is my job. I cover every topic the same – factually – whether it is bad news or good, whether it is an arrest, transfer, new coaching signing or championship victory.

    Thanks for commenting. Once again, I respect your opinion and appreciate you sharing it. That being said, I’m not going to continue discussing this topic.

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