A former Colorado sheriff and three former employees of the Costilla County Sheriff’s Office appeared in court yesterday following indictments handed down earlier this year.
Former Costilla County Sheriff Danny Sanchez, along with former deputies Cruz Soto, Caleb Sanchez, and Roland Riley, are facing multiple criminal charges connected to their time with the department.
According to court records, Danny Sanchez and Roland Riley were each indicted on four counts of official misconduct and one count of abuse of a corpse. Caleb Sanchez faces assault charges related to allegations of excessive use of force, while Cruz Soto was indicted on one count of assault and for allegedly failing to intervene.
During yesterday’s hearing, Soto was the only defendant to testify. However, he invoked his Fifth Amendment right when questioned about how evidence was handled within the sheriff’s office.
All four defendants are scheduled to return to court on July 14.
