Family rodeo outing turns into "hellish nightmare"

John Cody, center, his wife, Maricruz and their children, Abigail, 15, left, Celeste, 11, and Sarah, 8, came from their home in La Porte to the rodeo. The family was detained and questioned about shoplifting, then later cleared. less John Cody, center, his wife, Maricruz and their children, Abigail, 15, left, Celeste, 11, and Sarah, 8, came from their home in La Porte to the rodeo. The family was detained and questioned about shoplifting, ... more Photo: Melissa Phillip, Staff Photo: Melissa Phillip, Staff Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Family rodeo outing turns into "hellish nightmare" 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is a tradition for John Cody and his family.

"For the most part, we always try and go," said Cody, a 35-year-old Houston firefighter and Army veteran.

He and his wife, Maricruz, like to take their three daughters to check out the animals at the petting zoo, munch on greasy carney food and ride the festival rides.

Their trip from La Porte on Tuesday was supposed to be a special one for Abigail, 15, who was going to get to go to the Ariana Grande concert with some of her friends. Their 11-year-old, Celeste, had won an art prize, and Sarah, their 8-year-old had been talking about going for days.

But their outing turned into a "hellish nightmare" when Maricruz and one of her daughters were accused of shoplifting and handcuffed. They posted their story on Facebook, and it has since gone viral.

The incident began when Maricruz and her daughter were perusing a vendor's jewelry in NRG Center. Maricruz, who had just spent $75 at another stall, picked up some earrings, took a look, put them back, she said.

As they were looking at some other items at a nearby stall, the vendor approached Maricruz and asked if she could point out the earrings she had been examining. The vendor said she hadn't been able to find them.

Maricruz, 32, who works as a kindergarten teacher for La Porte ISD, said she pointed to the pair she'd glanced at: sterling silver teardrops with turquoise colored stones.

The vendor told her the earrings weren't the ones she'd been looking at.

Cody said his wife walked away, upset, and found him - he had taken his two youngest daughters to another part of NRG Center - and told him she had been accused of shoplifting.

"I kind of laughed it off," he said. "I didn't think it was big deal."

They decided to take their children to the bathroom before going on some carnival rides. While the kids were inside the bathroom, a sheriff's deputy approached the couple and yanked on Maricruz's arm and told her to "come with me," and led her to a security area where she was handcuffed to a bench.

By his own admission, Cody got upset and protested.

"I was trying to get my point across, that this was a mistake," he said.

A Houston police officer put him in handcuffs, and also started to lead him away, before he told the officer his three girls were still in the bathroom.

The sheriff's deputy, who has not been identified, came back, and handcuffed Abigail in front of her sisters while she was washing her hands, he said.

Cody watched another adult take his 8-year-old and 11-year-old daughters to the show's area for missing children.

Kids hysterical

"They were freaking out," he said. Abigail, their sister and role model, was being taken away in handcuffs, as was he.

"We had a witness who claimed she saw the woman and daughter steal a pair of earrings from the booth," said Christina Garza, a spokeswoman for the Harris County Sheriff's Office, explaining what the vendor told security.

"That's when our deputy and HPD responded to the area," she said, explaining that she had been told an HPD officer had handcuffed Abigail. "They were taken, questioned about the allegations, and released."

Authorities never found the earrings, she said.

"If the family believes there was any wrongdoing, they are welcome to file a formal complaint with our internal affairs division," she said.

Police later took off Cody's handcuffs and went with him to collect his two other daughters.

"My kids have never seen anything like that before…" he said. "They were pretty upset."

His wife and eldest daughter were released about two hours after the ordeal began.

Several law enforcement officers eventually apologized for how the incident was handled and told them they were free to go to the carnival or come back another day, but they told the family they had been banned from NRG Center, Cody said.

Maricruz, meanwhile, is still upset.

"She judged us, tried us, found us guilty," she said, of the deputy who detained her. "She was adamant we had the earrings. … It was something very hard for me to watch, my daughter brought in in handcuffs, searched, treated like a criminal."

Abigail decided to skip the Ariana Grande concert, she said, and the family left without using any of the carnival tickets they had purchased.

"Those kinds things are really important to teenagers," Maricruz said. "For her to forgo it, it really shook her…"

Cody and his wife said they are planning to file a formal complaint with the Sheriff's Office.

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo officials said they had recently learned about the incident and were reaching out to the Codys.

Officials apologize

"The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo wants all of its guests to have the best experience possible while visiting our event," Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo officials said in an email on Wednesday.

"We want to extend our apologies to the Cody family for the problems they encountered as show guests, and are reaching out to them to help us resolve this situation," the email stated. "They will be offered a day of hospitality here at the show, including rodeo and carnival tickets."

Cody said he and his family won't be attending the rodeo in the future.