Laramie police questioned Derek Cooke Jr., a senior forward for the UW men’s basketball team, after an altercation at a house party on Ninth and Custer on Friday, April 10 around 11:35 p.m.
Cooke was “in the area of the 300 block of South 1st behind Coal Creek” when police found him for the questioning, and said he left the party because he “did not believe he had done anything wrong,” according to an LPD police report.
Kahle Collins, the other party in the altercation, said Cooke, “picked her up by grabbing underneath the arm pit area of her body and carried her into the front yard,” according to the same police report. Collins also said Cooke “grabbed her by her hair and drug her the distance from the porch to the fence in the front yard.”
Cooke said he broke up a fight between two females, and one of them asked him to walk her to her car “so there would be no more trouble with the other female,” according to the report. He said on the way to the car, the other female involved in the fight threw two drinks into his face and yelled at him. He said he “grabbed that female, he couldn’t remember exactly how but thought it might be around her waist or by her side.”
Collins said she was arguing with females at the party before Cooke drug her around the yard by her hair. Collins sustained no injuries, and told LPD she “did not wish to pursue criminal charges against Cooke at this time,” according to the police report.
Sven Lundell, the host of the house party, approached police and said he was having a party at his home, and was trying to get everyone to leave. He said he was not aware of what happened outside the residence, as he was still inside during the time of the altercation.
“I didn’t see anything that happened, there was just a lot of people outside in my neighborhood,” Lundell said. “I made sure everyone was able to make it home and had a safe driver.”
Cassidy Mealhow, a UW student that was at the party and had not been drinking, said Collins was extremely drunk the night of the altercation, and was trying to start a fight with Mealhow and some other girls at the party.
“She was saying malicious things and tried to start a fight with us,” Mealhow said. “Derek asked her to leave, and then escorted her out. I asked Derek to walk me to my car after about ten minutes, and she was still outside.”
Mealhow said Collins said a racial slur and then Cooke attempted to pick her up. She fell to the ground and Cooke grabbed her by the hair. Mealhow said he did not drag her by the hair, despite what Collins told police. Mealhow also said Collins was drunk when police questioned her.
“She was belligerently drunk when she gave her statement to the police, and she is underage,” Mealhow said.
Collins was not available for comment.
Senior guard Charles Hankerson Jr. and redshirt freshman guard Alan Herndon were both also listed in the police report as having provided information to the police regarding the incident.
The UW men’s basketball team declined to comment because Cooke is not facing any criminal charges at this time.
