April 16, 2019
By Paragon News Director Paul Joseph –
A Weatherford man is being held in the Custer County Jail without bail after allegedly holding an 8 to 10 inch knife to his step son while making threats.
According to a probable cause affidavit, officers were recently called to a domestic disturbance in progress and found 32-year-old Mauricio Rodriguez, Junior, in a bedroom of a residence.
When Rodriguez saw the officer come into the bedroom of the home located in the 200 block of Granite Wash Street in Clinton, he grabbed the child and picked him up, holding him against his chest. When the officer asked what “was up,” the suspect reached under a blanket on the bed and allegedly pulled out a blue kitchen knife and said, “I’m gonna tell you what’s up.” Rodriguez was holding the knife with his right hand behind the juvenile male’s back, though he never made a threatening gesture with the knife.
After about 20-minutes, Rodriguez was convinced to hand the child to authorities. The suspect was placed in hand restraints and escorted to a police cruiser.
During interviews, it was later found that the suspect was upset with the child’s mother for having spoken to another man about a month earlier. He had argued with family members, breaking sunglasses and stabbing a purse. He allegedly pushed one family member to the ground by her throat and said that if the cops were called, he would kill the child.
The youth was later taken to a local hospital where it was found he had two scratch marks on his back, several inches long that ran half the length of his back. Towards the top were six to eight smaller red marks looking as if they’d been caused by being poked.
Rodriguez is charged with two counts of child abuse, after conviction of two or more felonies and domestic assault and battery in the presence of a minor, AFC2.
He’s due in district court on May 3 for a conference with the judge and his attorney.
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