Authorities on Tuesday erroneously arrested former San Benito
County Sheriff’s Sgt. Mike Rodrigues, set for trial on suspected
rape counts, thinking that his bail had expired.
Authorities on Tuesday erroneously arrested former San Benito County Sheriff’s Sgt. Mike Rodrigues, set for trial on suspected rape counts, thinking that his bail had expired.
With a court order, the sheriff’s office took Rodrigues into custody and began transporting him to the county jail under the presumption that his $300,000 bail had expired a year after he first posted it in December 2007. However, he never made it there because the order was called off after a bail bondsman informed the judge that Rodrigues’ bail had no expiration, his attorney Art Cantu said. A jail supervisor also confirmed that Rodrigues never was booked and did not arrive at the jail.
Neither Sheriff Curtis Hill nor Deputy District Attorney Patrick Palacios, who is handling the prosecution, immediately returned phone calls.
Rodrigues in December 2007 was indicted by a grand jury alleging three counts of forcible rape, two counts of unlawful sexual penetration and one count each of spousal rape, attempted rape and domestic violence. Authorities in September charged him with an additional rape count, along with felony charges for weapons and ammunition possession and misdemeanor violations of restraining orders.
Rodrigues’ jury trial date is tentatively set for June 22, Cantu said.
