The sheriff's office is attempting to block former Sgt. Mike Rodrigues' attorney from obtaining information from the rape suspect's county-issued computer.
At Rodrigues' latest pre-trial hearing Wednesday, attorney Art Cantu indicated he would file a motion for a hearing in September to compel the San Benito County Sheriff's Office to hand over the information.
Rodrigues is facing multiple charges including two counts of unlawful sexual penetration, one count each of spousal rape, attempted rape and domestic violence and three counts of forcible rape. A grand jury indicted him in December after a sheriff's office investigation.
It's unclear why the sheriff's office has withheld the information. Sheriff Curtis Hill, whom office personnel said is the only person authorized to comment on it, was out of town and couldn't be reached before press time.
Cantu contended that the sheriff's office hasn't given a reason to show that withholding the information benefits anyone.
"We need that information for important reasons - establishing alibis, contact information ..." Cantu said.
This is the latest complication in a case in which Cantu is the third defense attorney. The first, Christopher Miller, was replaced by public defender Greg LaForge due to Rodrigues' stated inability to pay a private attorney. Cantu replaced LaForge due to the public defender claiming a conflict of interest.
Cantu has high hopes for his client, having previously stated to the Free Lance that he is "100 percent confident of acquittal."
Jeff Gatlin Jeff Gatlin is a staff writer at The Hollister Free Lance. You can call him at (831) 637-5566 or send him an email.
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