Allegations filed in case against wrestler
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POLSON – Authorities say Ronan state wrestling champion Cole Snyder was selling prescription drugs to other students and manipulated a 15-year-old girl into sending him nude photos before the teen was arrested in February for felony distribution of dangerous drugs and felony sexual abuse of children.
According to court documents, Snyder was interviewed by a Lake County Deputy on February 15, a day after he was taken off the school bus in handcuffs when the team returned from the state wrestling tournament. Hours earlier, he had taken the state title in his weight division.
During the interview, Snyder told the deputy that he had asked a friend for a pain reliever weeks earlier, and the friend said they only had Lortab, a prescription drug. Snyder took the drug, and later another high school student offered to sell Snyder some Lortab pills that came from a legitimate prescription.
Snyder then began buying and selling the pills to other students for approximately three weeks, until he was arrested.
During the course of interrogation Snyder also admitted to requesting nude photos from a teenaged girl via Snapchat, a cell phone application that temporarily stores photos before they are deleted. The girl provided Snyder with the photos.
A court date for the case has not been set. In February Snyder pleaded not guilty to the charges in Lake County Justice Court.
Snyder and four other students were readmitted to Ronan High School in March by the school board against the recommendations of Superintendent Andy Holmlund, who had requested that the students be expelled or face long-term suspension.
Snyder is the only student who is legally an adult in the case. The identities have not been released of the underage students involved, which included around 10 individuals, according to law enforcement.
