Durango man who sexually molested two children goes to prison – The Durango Herald

Judge, prosecutor say Cody Coley received lenient sentence due to forgiveness from children

A Durango man who was arrested on incest charges and pleaded guilty to two counts of assault was sentenced last week to 180 days in jail and intensive sex offender probation of 10 years to life.

Cody Coley, 43, was arrested in January after his victims reported sexual assaults that occurred around March 2018.

The victims told law enforcement that Coley forced them to perform sex acts on themselves when they were children, under the pretense that the act was “educational.”

During a previous court hearing, prosecutors said Coley had a pattern of emotional and sexual abuse. Coley and his defense attorney said he was drunk when any of the inappropriate behavior occurred.

District Judge Anthony Baca said defendants who plead guilty to crimes like Coley’s typically receive long prison sentences. The reason for Coley’s lenient sentence was out of mercy to his victims, according to the judge and prosecutor.

“It is uniquely the (victims) at the center of this case that they are somewhat understanding,” said U.S. Attorney Justin Pierce. “To be clear, it is not an act of mercy on my part that the defendant does not receive a lengthy prison sentence.”

Coley’s father, Bruce, read aloud what he believed were the words of the victims.

“They told me they weren’t afraid of (Coley) or hated (Coley),” Bruce Coley said. “They told me they still loved (Coley) and wanted him to be a part of their lives in the future.”

After their son was handcuffed and led away, Coley’s parents spoke to a reporter outside the courtroom.

“It was truly an alcohol-related offense,” Bruce Coley said. “Without alcohol, he would not have been inclined to behave in this way. He simply succumbed to evil.”

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