Authorities arrest one suspect, seek second in Lower Lake beating case
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Clearlake man who was assaulted in Lower Lake late last week remains hospitalized, with authorities arresting one suspect and seeking a second in the beating.
Cody Myrick, 24, has been identified by friends and family as the victim of the brutal Friday night beating.
Sgt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said so far one suspect in the case, Lorenzo Reyes Cespedes, 44, of Lucerne, has been arrested and the agency is tracking down a second man, Elijah Cain Ward, 37.
Based on the investigation so far, Myrick was assaulted late on Friday night in front of Maynard’s Bar in Lower Lake, Paulich said.
At around 12 a.m. Saturday, a deputy patrolling the area found Myrick unconscious on Main Street in front of the bar, Paulich explained.
He said Myrick was taken to Adventist Health Clear Lake Hospital before being flown to an out-of-county trauma center.
“There were other bar patrons who provided descriptions of the suspects,” said Paulich.
“One of the deputies checked the Middletown area for the suspects based on the description provided and located Cespedes,” said Paulich.
Paulich said Cespedes was found in front of Twin Pine Casino and identified, but not arrested.
“At that point he denied any knowledge of the altercation,” Paulich said of Cespedes.
Ward came out of casino, contacted the deputy and provided a statement in which he said he was with Cespedes. Paulich said both men were intoxicated; Cespedes appeared to be more so than Ward.
Ward admitted there was an altercation but claimed that it was between Myrick and Jennifer Ashley Thach, 39, of Lower Lake, Paulich said.
Thach was arrested early Friday morning on a public intoxication charge, according to Lake County Jail records.
Deputies were able to obtain surveillance video of the area where Myrick was assaulted, Paulich said.
Paulich said they were able to confirm that Ward and Cespedes had assaulted Myrick. He said that, based on that video, Thach was present but didn’t appear to be involved in the assault.
Cespedes would later come in voluntarily to give a statement to authorities, in which he pointed the finger at Ward, saying the fight had broken out between Ward and Myrick, Paulich said.
Paulich said Cespedes subsequently was arrested. Jail records show he was taken into custody just after 12 a.m. Sunday, about 24 hours after Myrick was found.
Cespedes was booked on two felony charges, assault with great bodily injury and battery with serious bodily injury. He later posted the required percentage of the $30,000 bail and was released.
His booking sheet indicated he is set for an initial court date on Oct. 17.
As of Monday evening, Ward had not yet been arrested. Paulich said an arrest warrant was being completed for Ward, who has a local address but who they believed has left the county in the wake of the assault.
On Monday, Myrick remained in critical condition, Paulich said.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help Myrick and his family.
The page reported that Myrick suffered a blow to the head during the assault, and that his parents are with him.
As of early Tuesday, the page had raised $920 of a $5,000 goal.
Anyone with information about the case can call the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 707-262-4200.
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