CASPER — A 20-year-old Casper man pleaded not guilty at his Natrona County District Court arraignment Friday on charges he allegedly forced a man he called a “snitch” into a car, threatened his life, and at one point put a gun to his chest.
Michael Cody Odom appeared before Judge Joshua Eames in Natrona County District Court on charges of aggravated kidnapping, use of a firearm to commit a felony, aggravated assault and battery and witness tampering.
Odom appeared with his defense attorney, Kurt Infanger. Odom told the judge that he understood the charges and the potential penalties each one carries.
Charges against Odom stem from an initial report to Casper Police at 8:50 a.m. on Feb. 13 that there were “scary guys” in the area of South Walsh Drive, and an overheard conversation between those involved asking each other if they were “ready to do this.”
Officers responded to Trigood Drive three blocks away to find a 26-year-old man who told them that Odom had threatened him with a handgun while another 39-year-old accomplice held a knife to his side.
The threats happened when he was in a blue Dodge Challenger with the pair and another 43-year-old man, he told police.
Police found the Challenger westbound on Yellowstone Highway and made a high-risk stop of the trio.
Odom was the front-seat passenger, and a search of the vehicle found a backpack on the front passenger-seat floor with a Springfield XD45 handgun, the arrest affidavit states.
The alleged victim told police he had met with several individuals around Casper and had gone to a residence where Odom was present.
The man said he and Odom had a previous “beef” over dating a woman and that “Odom had told him that he had seen his ‘papers' and knew him to be a ‘snitch.’"
The alleged victim denied the accusation and said Odom left the residence with others to “possibly seek out purchasing more illicit substances,” the affidavit states.
Called A ‘Snitch’
The victim then went to the Flying J Travel Center on SE Wyoming Boulevard with others and called the 43-year-old man, who arrived at the Flying J with Odom.
There, Odom again allegedly confronted the alleged victim with being a “snitch.”
The 26-year-old told police that Odom, who was in the front seat of the car, motioned for him to get in the back seat. He obliged.
Odom then allegedly called the 39-year-old to confirm a rumor that the alleged victim was a “snitch.”
The alleged victim told police that he was driven to Spring Hill Apartments where the 39-year-old walked out of his apartment with a woman and two children.
The 26-year-old was told “when you snitch that is what you take away.”
The 26-year-old told police he was standing with Odom and the 43-year-old when the 39-year-old motioned him to approach him.
The alleged victim said he had seen a pistol in a bag in Odom’s possession and feared he would be shot in the back, so he did not move, the affidavit states.
The trio then allegedly circled him and began to push him down the street to a more secluded area.
“As the group began to walk down the street with the alleged victim in the middle, people began to stare, so the 43-year-old went back to his vehicle and a knife was produced directing the 26-year-old into the car,” the affidavit states.
The alleged victim told police the 43-year-old told the others that “I don’t think we should kill him.”
Once in the car, the alleged victim told police the 39-year-old held a black knife to his side as he sat in the back seat, and the 43-year-old drove with Odom in the passenger seat in front.
On exiting the car after it was parked in an alley, Odom produced the handgun and “held it against his chest,” the alleged victim told police.
“(Odom) said he wanted to ‘hit this lick’ or rob him,’” the affidavit states the alleged victim told police. “At that point, (the 43-year-old) stepped in and asked Odom why, since (the alleged victim) had just gotten out of jail.”
Talk About Killing
The alleged victim then told police he lied and told the trio he had “1,200” in Evansville.
An argument developed about the 26-year-old needing to have the money on him before transitioning to who would kill him, Odom or the 39-year-old.
The 39-year-old told Odom he could do it and Odom appeared “enthusiastic” and the trio began pushing the 26-year-old to the back of the vehicle.
Odom went to back to the car and came back messing with something in his pockets and produced a knife, but the alleged victim said he may have handed it to someone.
Odom then allegedly struck the victim in the head, and his head hit the vehicle, the 26-year-old told police.
Odom then kept striking him and the 26-year-old said he put up his arms to defend himself. The alleged victim told police that as he was being hit, he backed up and tripped over a log.
The 26-year-old told police he was getting frustrated and asked the trio, “Are we going to do this?”
At that point, the trio became distracted and he got off the ground and the three men got back into the vehicle.
The trio demanded the alleged victim get back in, but the victim told them that if they thought he was being tracked by law enforcement, why would they want him in the car.
The 43-year-old allegedly told the victim “I am disappointed in you, but you are right,” and drove off, the affidavit states.
A police interview with the 43-year-old said that the alleged victim called him asking to be picked up at the Flying J and that Odom showed the 26-year-old information on his phone that showed the 26-year-old paperwork confirming he had provided police information for a case.
The 43-year-old admitted to “talking bad” to the alleged victim but said the trio did not touch him.
He said both Odom and the 39-year-old were telling the 26-year-old that they should “smoke him” but did not think anyone intended to kill the alleged victim.
Knife Alleged
The 43-year-old told police Odom did have a firearm in his backpack, but he never saw him pull it out and threaten the 26-year-old.
The 43-year-old told police he did see Odom pull a knife and “used it to emphasize what he was saying while talking with the victim.”
The 39-year-old told police he received a call from Odom that he was with the alleged victim and the 39-year-old said he told Odom to bring the man over so they could fight.
He said when they arrived, they went to look for a place to fight, and he never saw a knife, gun, or backpack.
He told police that he decided fighting the 26-year-old “wasn’t worth it” and said Odom punched the alleged victim a couple of times. He said the alleged victim tried to get in the car afterwards, but they would not let him.
Odom refused to speak with police, the affidavit states.
Aggravated kidnapping is punishable by not less than 20 years to life in prison and carries a potential fine of $10,000.
The use of a firearm to commit a felony and aggravated assault and battery charges both carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison. The assault charge also carries a fine of up to $10,000.
The witness tampering charge is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
Odom was sent back to the Natrona County jail. Infanger did not attempt to address the court about his $70,000 cash bond.
Eames set Odom's trial date for July 13.
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
