After a babysitter, a now twelve-year-old girl, made accusations she was forced to smoke “ice” and then was sexually assaulted, Miguel Angel Rodriguez, 32, of Hobbs, was arrested and charged on Thursday after Hobbs Police Department investigated the allegations.
According to the HPD arrest report, officers were called about the assault in January after the victim told her family she was assaulted seven times.
The report states the victim was allegedly assaulted for the first time when she was babysitting her neighbor’s children. While speaking with the victim, officers stated the neighbor, who is also Rodriguez’s cousin and lived with her, walked up to the family while police were interviewing them and “confronted” them.
The neighbor told police the victim was making false accusations because she “wigged out” a couple of days earlier when the neighbor tried talking to the victim about “something suspicious,” according to the report. The neighbor allegedly told police she believed the victim was “too close” with her uncle, and the victim ran away when the neighbor tried talking to the victim about it. That same uncle was also the reason the victim was no longer able to go to the neighbor’s home, according to the neighbor.
The report also states HPD interviewed the uncle, who told police he started getting “bad vibes” from Rodriguez. After asking the victim if “something was happening” the victim disclosed some information, but not in detail, the uncle said.
The victim told police she believed the last time she was abused was in 2020 and since then Rodriguez “tried to but I tell him not to.”
Officers tried obtaining a statement from Rodriguez at that time but he was not home the report states.
In the following days, the victim was interviewed a second time, saying the first incident happened when Rodriguez asked her to come into a room to play a game while she was watching the neighbor’s children.
“I started crying,” the victim states in the report. “(The victim) says she told him to stop and tried to push him off but he grabbed her.”
The report states the victim ran home and left Rodriguez with the children following the assault.
“She tried to tell (the neighbor) about what happened but (the neighbor) did not listen to her due to being mad that she had left the kids alone,” the report states.
According to the report, the second time the victim was allegedly assaulted also happened at the neighbors home. The victim claimed she was sleeping on the couch when she woke up to Rodriguez staring at her. The victim claimed she was unaware Rodriguez would be at the home.
“(The victim) stated Miguel grabbed her and told her to wake,” the report states. “(The victim) asked Miguel what he wanted and said ‘you know what I want.”
The victim claimed Rodriguez covered her mouth with his hand and the neighbor walked out and Rodriguez pushed the victim away and said they were wrestling, according to the report.
During the third incident, the victim said Rodriguez made her smoke “ice” before assaulting her.
“(The victim) described putting a pipe in her mouth and burn something on the other end,” the report states. “(The victim) said she could not sleep that night.”
The report states the victim was also forced to smoke “ice” on the fourth incident. According to the report, Rodriguez allegedly took her to a “place near” a convenience store and grabbed her arms, and wrapped his legs around her so she could not kick him before he allegedly assaulted her.
The fifth incident allegedly happened once again at the neighbors home.
“(The victim) said she began to crave the stuff that Miguel made her smoke on the fifth incident,” the report states.
The victim told police the neighbor’s children did not witness the assault due to Rodriguez allegedly closing the door and saying she was helping him clean. The victim also claimed Rodriguez tried to get her to go over to the neighbor’s house following the last incident, in July 2020.
“She decided to tell someone after Miguel began to drive really close to her house,” the report states. “(The victim) stated Miguel said he would shoot up the house if she did not do it with him again.”
The officer states in the report several attempts were made to interview Rodriguez and he was told by the neighbor of the accusations, but Rodriguez allegedly never answered the attempts or messages from officers.
Rodriguez was charged with three counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor under 13, all first-degree felonies.
A warrant was issued on February 26, according to court records, and he was arrested on April 15. The following day he was issued a $15,000 unsecured bond during his first appearance in magistrate court.
Rodriguez is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on May 19 with Hobbs Magistrate Willie Henry.
