EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — Police documents allege a Socorro school district trustee was arrested after he got a teenager in a chokehold during a Father’s Day barbecue party.
According to the complaint affidavit, on June 21, during a gathering to celebrate Father’s Day at a home in Far East El Paso, the 16-year-old victim and a witness allege that Ryan Reid Woodcraft tackled the teenage victim, pulled the kid’s shirt over their head, dragged them from the garage into a living room, before putting the minor in a chokehold.
RELATED: Socorro ISD board trustee Ryan Woodcraft arrested on assault charge
In the affidavit, the victim told investigators Woodcraft, who is a Socorro Independent School District trustee, had been acting strange, was allegedly lifting his shirt to show a “temporary tattoo” on his nipple to the kids, before undressing (it is not clear how much he undressed) and chasing two underage kids into the garage.
Then the victim explained Woodcraft threw a “large industrial trash bag roll” weighing approximately 50 to 100 pounds; however, he missed.
The victim then said Woodcraft allegedly tackled them, causing them to hit their head with the garage door latch, then allegedly continued the assault, pulling the teen’s shirt over their head before dragging them through, eventually stopping at the living room.
It is here that the victim alleged Woodcraft got behind them and started choking them, making the victim dizzy and have “tunnel vision-like sensations.”
The victim told investigators they tried to fight Woodcraft off, punching him; however, they said Woodcraft allegedly kept on choking them.
In the affidavit, a witness, the person who was hosting the Father’s Day cookout, described to investigators how he had to eventually kick Woodcraft and pull his hair to get him to release the teen from the chokehold.
The witness said he first thought Woodcraft was “messing around with his son” before he got closer to see the victim wasn’t Woodcraft’s son and that their face was “red and purple” and that they were drooling with tears rolling down from his eyes.
The witness said when Woodcraft let go of the teenage victim, he allegedly got up and acted “as if nothing happened.”
Furthermore, the witness also described how Woodcraft had been reportedly acting strange throughout the evening, talking about buying drugs.
The witness alleged Woodcraft first asked him for weed before using the witness’s phone to go on an “unknown website” that sells drugs, saying,
If you order shrooms tell them in the notes that Woodcraft sent you.
According to jail records, Woodcraft was booked into the El Paso County Downtown Jail on Saturday, July 25, over a month after the incident happened.
Woodcraft was charged with assault causing bodily injury, with bond set at $3,500.
Jail records also show Woodcraft was released from jail the same day after posting a surety bond.
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KFOX14/CBS4 reached out to the Socorro Independent School District for comment following news of Woodcraft’s arrest.
Below is the district’s full statement:
Socorro ISD is aware of the situation involving Mr. Woodcraft and will follow the appropriate process in reviewing the matter. The District has no additional information to share at this time.
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