Former Ravens DT Terrence Cody Indicted On Animal Cruelty Charges
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A former Raven is facing animal cruelty charges, including abusing his pet alligator. A grand jury indicted nose tackle Terrence Cody on 15 counts. The charges came on the same day the Ravens announced they are dropping him from their roster.
Meghan McCorkell has more on the allegations.
Those 15 counts include two felonies after a vet contacted police about possible animal abuse.
He played nose tackle for five seasons with the Ravens.
"It's a big boost knowing that I'm being a part of the team," Cody said.
Now Cody is off the team and facing jail time, accused of aggravated animal cruelty.
On his Instagram page, Cody posted video and pictures of his dogs including a Presa Canario worth thousands of dollars. But investigators say last month, Cody took the dogs to the vet, who raised red flags about possible abuse after the animal died.
When police searched Cody's home, they found a pet alligator, which is illegal in the county.
Cody is now accused of abusing both animals.
WJZ reached out to Cody for comment, but he declined to answer the door.
Neighbors who didn't want to go on camera tell WJZ that they were aware Cody had a pet alligator and they were concerned about it.
The Ravens dropped Cody as the team tightens its conduct policy.
"Everybody is going to be under a different type of scrutiny from here on out and that's a good thing. Understand that. It's real. It's serious and they need to be aware of that," said Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.
After multiple Ravens players were arrested last off-season, PR expert Shana Harris says it's important the team take a hard line.
"Everyone's going to know that they don't stand for that. If you're going to play for the Ravens, then this is the type of people with the values that we're looking for," said Shana Harris, Warschawski Marketing.
Cody faces up to three years in jail.
Cody is also facing drug charges after police say they found marijuana and drug paraphernalia inside his home.
An arraignment date has not been set.
