Cody M. Cothran faces a judge in Lewis County Superior Court during a bail hearing yesterday.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children forwarded to a local detective led to a 15-year-old Lewis County girl who had uploaded images of herself to her Facebook account, showing her unclothed private parts.
Of particular interest to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office was a photo of the girl with a penis in her mouth, and Facebook text messages between her and a 21-year-old that suggested an intimate relationship.
Sheriff’s detective Jamey McGinty this week went to the girl’s address and spoke to a relative who said she hadn’t been home in two weeks, but had a boyfriend who lived in Onalaska.
McGinty found the girl there and interviewed her, learning she and Cody M. Cothran, 21, were boyfriend and girlfriend and that he allegedly took the picture in question, of the two of them, according to court documents.
She told McGinty that Cothran knew she was only 15, according to court documents.
“She said Cody told her to be careful who she told about their relationship and that he could get into trouble if their relationship was discovered,” court documents state.
McGinty placed Cothran under arrest and read him his Miranda warnings, Lewis County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher wrote.
That was on Wednesday. Yesterday afternoon, Cothran was brought before a judge in Lewis County Superior Court.
He is charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, an offense with a maximum penalty of 10 year in prison. He is also charged with third-degree rape of a child. That crime can bring as much as five years behind bars.
Charging documents don’t indicate if Facebook had lifted the photos from the girl’s account. They don’t state if the text exchanges between the two were viewable by the public, or if they were private messages that the detective somehow accessed.
There is no indication the girl is in trouble.
Temporary defense attorney Joely O’Rourke told the judge Cothran is unemployed and qualified for a court appointed lawyer.
Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Joel DeFazio said Cothran has no prior criminal convictions of any sort.
Judge Nelson Hunt allowed Cothran to remain free pending his trial, based on a $25,000 unsecured bond co-signed by his grandfather.
Judge Hunt ordered Cothran to turn over any computer he has to his newly appointed lawyer, David Brown by his arraignment.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
Why would you even call somebody welfare trash? Do you even know if said person is on welfare? What exactly is welfare trash? Just because somebody is on welfare, they are trash? I really hope you are never at a point in your life where you need any assistance from the state.
IS there ANYmore info on what happened with this case?
Ya well this isn’t Mexico perv!! If I catch anyone messing with a child! Your wetback ass will wish you had already been deported! Fkn scumbag welfare trash!!
Why slut shame the guy? Studies have shown that an attraction to younger women shown by older me is not the exception, but it’s the rule.
Every advertising executive knows this, capitalizes on it, and rakes in fortunes in revenue.
The people who inject their personal morality into people’s lives to control their sexuality are usually the worst offenders of all.
Until people’s desires are dealt with like aduts, instead of hiding and shaming people, kids will continue to hide their activities rather than discuss them openly as adults.
There was so much uglies getting bumped when I was growing up in Centralia, it would surprise me if there were NOT kids at the high school dating their own brother or sister without even knowing it.
Stay classy Centralia.
What’s that old saying?? 15 will get you 20…. Shit boy, sounds like you knew better too. That box was not worth what your gonna go thru when your convicted. Stupid, stupid, stupid…..
Just wondering in the photo was their a gun to the girls head while she had this dude’s Penis in her mouth? In Mexico you can marry at this age. Plus she’s a runaway. Gee think this is going to stop her from screwing older guys? Nope she’s looking for a Sugar Daddy.