Suspects gave police different accounts of night

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) - Five Navy sailors were arrested after they assaulted and robbed a man in a hotel room after a night of drinking, Pensacola Police said.

The five men were arrested on assault charges by Pensacola Police.

The victim told police that one of the suspects, Danny Holder, allowed the victim to perform oral sex on him at the Crown Plaza Hotel before he and Daniel Souder, Tyler Rush, Cody Reynolds and Juan Gomez assaulted the victim.

Pensacola police said the victim told them incident started with the six men drinking at the Emerald City bar in November. The victim told authorities he had been tipping the five other men to remove their clothing there, before they moved to the hotel.

Police said the group rented adjoining rooms and the victim and Holder went into one while the other men stayed in the other. The victim said he heard a knock on the door and, when he went to answer it, Holder struck him from behind.

The victim told police Rush, Reynolds, Souder, Holder and Gomez beat the victim until he lost consciousness, removed his clothes, stole $100 from his wallet and broke his cell phone before putting it in the room’s toilet.

When the investigating officer caught up with three of the suspects, Reynolds, Rush and Souder, at NAS Pensacola, he was told a different story by Reynolds.

The suspect said that he was sick from drinking too much and, Rush tended to him in the bathroom while Holder and the victim went into the other room. When they returned, he said, Souder, Gomez and Holder beat the victim.

Reynolds told Pensacola Police that he and Rush left the hotel and didn’t touch the victim; police said Rush’s story was similar.

Souder’s statement differed, still.

He told police that, after the victim and Holder emerged from the other room, the other four sailors beat and kicked him while he held him on the ground.

Souder said Holder told the victim he was a federal law enforcement officer while Rush took his identification.

Souder said he took the victim’s phone and clothes and put them in the toilet.

Holder’s version offered yet another variation. He told PPD that after agreeing to take money from the victim to take their shirts off, he and the other five men went into the hotel rooms.

Holder told the officer that Reynolds removed his clothes and began dancing around the room holding a cell phone cord. At some point, Holder told police, the victim grabbed his (Holder's) genitals.

Holder told police Souder then wrapped the phone cord around the victim’s neck and pulled on it while Reynolds and Rush began kicking the victim’s head.

Holder said he watched as this happened, then Souder ordered the victim to remove his clothing, took his cell phone and put it in the toilet.

Holder told police he never struck the victim and, as they left the hotel, he heard Souder curse and use a derogatory term in reference to the victim.

Holder, Reynolds, Rush, Souder and Gomez were all arrested and charged with battery with intent to cause bodily harm, larceny and felony robbery.

Although their recollections differed, their bonds are set at a common amount of $21,000.