Police report: RRHS JV baseball player says urinating in water jug was a joke, not revenge

RIO RANCHO — The Rio Rancho High School junior varsity baseball player facing 15 counts of battery for allegedly urinating in an opposing team’s water jug during a home game last month told investigators he did it “to be funny” and had “no intention” to seek revenge from any previous incidents or games, according to a police report.

The player, whose name was redacted from the report, obtained by the Observer the afternoon of April 8 through a public records request, made the admission to Rio Rancho police following the game against La Cueva High School March 25.

The report’s release comes as the entire RRHS JV team remains suspended pending the outcome of investigations from the police department and Rio Rancho Public Schools, which has promised discipline to be “severe” depending on what officials find.

The player told investigators that one of his jobs before each game was to get the water jugs filled from a hose, and three of his friends assisted him on March 25, the report said. The player made a comment to them that he had to “use the restroom” and made a joke about peeing in the water jug, according to the report. After filling the water jugs, he and the other three students returned the water jugs to the baseball dugouts, including the one where La Cueva players sit, the report said.

After placing the water jug into the La Cueva dugout, the player lifted the top from the jug and “peed in it,” adding that he believed “five drops” of urine came out, according to the report. The act was filmed by one of his friends, who later uploaded the video to Snapchat, the report said.

The player denied to investigators that a March 1 tournament against La Cueva in which he was punched by an opposing player was a motive for urinating in the water jugs, according to the report.

However, the player’s father told the police that his son’s conduct during the March 25 game might have been avoided if the first incident with La Cueva “had been handled differently,” the report said. He also told the police he felt he should have contacted them after the March 1 game but “RRHS wanted to handle it a different way,” the report said.

The father told police that his son is “not vengeful and made a mistake.” He also told them he hoped his son’s life isn’t “ruined” by the incident, a feeling echoed by other parents interviewed in the report.

Another parent disclosed to investigators that it is common for players to arrive at games with their own water in their own bottles, but as the game progresses, they often replenish or refill their bottles with water from the jug that the home team supplies in the dugouts.

The report lists the names of 15 JV baseball players who drank from the jug and one parent, an unidentified male. In addition, police are unsure whether four other JV baseball players drank from the water jug because they did not get confirmation from their families as of April 4, the report said.

The report, filed by RRPD Officer Ed Smith, found that the player “demonstrated a clear disregard for the well-being” of the La Cueva High School baseball team and his conduct met the criteria for charges of battery. The case was forwarded by police to Juvenile Probation and Parole.