CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Clarksville-based actor Cody Longo, known for his roles in “Days of Our Lives” and the “Bring It On: Fight to the Finish” movie, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge in Colorado on Jan. 14 stemming from an incident with a 9-year-old girl in 2019.
This plea resulted in the dismissal of a felony sexual assault charge.
Longo, 33, was initially arrested a year ago and charged with a class 4 felony, sex assault on a child, according to court records from Douglas County, Colorado, obtained by Clarksville Now. The incident occurred in July 2019.
Sentencing for the misdemeanor third-degree assault charge was delayed for 18 months, according to the records from Colorado. A conviction carries a sentence of up to two years in jail and fines up to $5,000.
The Colorado statute that Longo pleaded guilty to states that if an individual commits assault in the third degree, then, “The person knowingly or recklessly causes bodily injury to another person or with criminal negligence the person causes bodily injury to another person by means of a deadly weapon.”
In November, Longo’s lawyer, Iris Eytan of Denver, Colorado, told Clarksville Now her client was innocent.
“Overwhelming evidence unequivocally disproves and refutes the allegations in the affidavit. Other than the evidence of innocence revealed in the actual, not summarized, interviews in the affidavit, additional evidence completely exonerates him,” Eytan said.
Friday evening, Longo’s lawyer provided Clarksville Now the following statement:
“Mr. Longo did not plead guilty to the original charge. As Cody said from the beginning, and still maintains, he is innocent of and did not commit any sexual assault. The certified polygraph and extensive evaluation determined Cody did not commit the act he was accused of and charged with. He took a plea bargain of a deferred judgement to a misdemeanor simple assault, which will come off his record in 18 months. It’s not a conviction, it’s a plea that amounts to a very slow dismissal. There is absolutely no tie to any sexual facts or assault to this plea. The original charge was dismissed as part of this plea. His wife and family stand by him 100%. He took this plea because this has been an emotional and financial toll on him and his family and he wanted to avoid any further disruption to his coveted and private family life.”
The actor was also arrested Nov. 7 on a charge of domestic assault after his wife told police he shoved her in the face with his forearm, according to a police report. That case is still pending in court.
