Attorney says one of four alleged victims rescinds allegation;
former sheriff’s deputy faces trial next week
The defense attorney for ex-sheriff’s sergeant Mike Rodrigues
told the Pinnacle that one of four suspected rape victims in the
case has signed a declaration dismissing her allegation from the
proceedings.
Attorney says one of four alleged victims rescinds allegation; former sheriff’s deputy faces trial next week
The defense attorney for ex-sheriff’s sergeant Mike Rodrigues told the Pinnacle that one of four suspected rape victims in the case has signed a declaration dismissing her allegation from the proceedings.
Defense attorney Arthur Cantu made the comment while briefly updating the Pinnacle on proceedings in the case during a short break from closed-door talks Wednesday.
Even with the impending dismissal, however, it still leaves Rodrigues facing three counts of suspected rape in a case that started with a San Benito County Sheriff’s Office investigation and, later, led to a grand jury indictment against the longtime local deputy in December 2008.
The grand jury indicted Rodrigues of three rape counts, while prosecutors added another suspected victim last fall.
Sheriff Curtis Hill, whose office conducted the rape investigations, could not be reached immediately for comment before press time.
Cantu also clarified this week that with a law elevating a potential sentence if Rodrigues is convicted of two or more of the counts, he is exposed to a possible life prison sentence.
That law states that Rodrigues would face a sentence of 15 years to life in prison if convicted in the same court proceeding of raping two separate victims.
While Cantu divulged those two pieces of news in the case, a hearing scheduled for Wednesday to solidify testimony in the upcoming trial – scheduled for Aug. 24 – didn’t produce anything publicly.
Cantu and prosecutors, instead of holding the proceeding in a public courtroom, spent the day in a judge’s chambers “going through each witness so the judge gets a handle on the proposed testimony,” Cantu said.
Judge Alan Hedegard, who is visiting from Monterey County due to workload issues for the two sitting judges in San Benito County, is overseeing the case.
Rodrigues was a deputy with the local sheriff’s office for 25 years before being fired in 2008 after the sheriff’s office completed an investigation.
Look for coverage of the Mike Rodrigues trial on the Web at www.freelancenews.com.
