Murphy – A Texana man who was a leading rusher for Murphy High School football a decade ago is facing two felonies in separate cases along with a host of misdemeanor charges.
Gaige Colby Cox, 28, of Aurora Lane, was a star running back and linebacker for the Bulldogs until he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament, a torn meniscus and chipped tibia on the opening play in a 38-14 home win over the Q Foundation in 2014.
Before his injury, he amassed impressive numbers, including scoring five touchdowns for Murphy High in a 53-2 rout of Albemarle in the 2013 NCHSAA class 1A state semifinals. He graduated in 2015 and signed to play football for Highland Community College in Kansas.
On Nov. 27, he posted a $30,000 bond after his arrest Nov. 24 by the Murphy Police Department on felony burglary and several misdemeanor charges. He had already been free after posting a $10,000 bond for a long list of charges dating June 8 that included a felony charge of assaulting a detention officer.
Nov. 24 case
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On Nov. 24, Cox was charged with first-degree burglary (a felony) and three misdemeanors – interfering with emergency communications and violation of a domestic violence protective order, injury to real property.
Murphy police alleged that Cox broke into a home on Cool Springs Street “with intent to terrorize” the resident, a former girlfriend who had a “no contact” domestic violence protective order against Cox filed a few days earlier.
He took the phone away from her when she tried to call 911, according to the charges.
July 5 case
On July 5, Cox was arrested by the Murphy Police Department on misdemeanor charges of domestic violence and assault inflicting serious injury.
According to court records, Cox “placed his hands around (his girlfriend’s) neck to restrict her airway, aggressively grabbed female leaving abrasions on the skin, pushed (her) off the bed resulting in her hitting her face on a night stand causing a black eye.”
That case was dismissed, although resulted in the protective order.
June 8 case
At the time of his most recent arrest, Cox was free on $10,000 bond from a June 8 Murphy police case including assault with physical injury on a detention employee (a felony) and five misdemeanors – driving while impaired, resisting a public officer, carrying a concealed gun, communicating threats and two counts of assault on a government employee.
According to court records, Cox had been arrested on Hiwassee Street in Murphy on suspicion of driving while impaired. He was found to be carrying a .38 Special handgun at the time, the records said.
While at the Cherokee County Detention Center, Cox was asked to sit in a chair while awaiting chemical analysis of his blood alcohol level. He refused and fought officers and jail staff, according to court records.
He threatened to physically injure a detention officer, saying he would “’whoop your ass’” and “the threat was made in a manner and under circumstances which would cause a reasonable person to believe that the threat was likely to be carried out and the person threatened believed that the threat would be carried out,” according to court records.
He then allegedly assaulted a Murphy police officer by pushing her against a wall while in a metal chair “as to hit and pin her against the wall,” assaulted a detention officer and wrapped his legs around the police officer, then allegedly injured a detention officer when he rammed a metal chair into the detention officer’s leg, leaving a bruise and mark. Charges are pending in the Nov. 24 and June 8 cases.