A jury this afternoon found former sheriff’s Sgt. Michael
Rodrigues guilty of raping three women.
HOLLISTER
A jury this afternoon found former sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Rodrigues guilty of raping three women.
Jurors convicted Rodrigues, 48, on four counts of rape, while they came down with a not guilty verdict on four charges related to one of the accuser’s allegations.
Overall, there were four guilty verdicts and four not guilty verdicts, including the rape allegation and other accusations from a woman who contended he raped her in 2007.
The jury, however, convicted Rodrigues for raping the three other women – one of them in 1999 and 2000, and the others in 2006.
With the four rape convictions, Rodrigues faces a possible sentence of 60 years to life in prison, while jurors also came down with guilty verdicts on three special allegations that could enhance the penalty.
Defense attorney Art Cantu, meanwhile, had indicated his intention to appeal the case before the jury reached verdicts.
Look back shortly for more on this breaking news story, along with reaction from those involved.
