Ex-Texas deputy gets 20-year sentence after turning off body camera and assaulting woman
Ignacio Rodriguez IV (Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas)
LAREDO, Texas - A former Webb County sheriff's deputy was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for sexually assaulting a woman during a traffic stop, federal prosecutors announced.
Former deputy sentenced to 20 years
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo ordered Ignacio Rodriguez IV, 29, to serve 240 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Rodriguez pleaded guilty on April 23 to civil rights violations.
Details of civil rights violation
The backstory:
During the sentencing hearing, the court heard testimony that Rodriguez pulled over a vehicle on Sept. 1, 2024, after observing it traveling into oncoming traffic. He ordered the driver and a female passenger to exit and stand near his patrol unit before turning off his body-worn camera.
The passenger recorded portions of the stop on her cell phone. Testimony and evidence showed that both women repeatedly asked to go home, but Rodriguez told them, "No, you have to convince me," and confiscated the driver's phone. He then directed them to a desolate area, where he forced the female passenger into his patrol unit and sexually assaulted her.
In handing down the sentence, Judge Marmolejo described Rodriguez's conduct as brazen, calculated, and extremely cruel.
What they're saying:
"When a law enforcement officer commits sexual violence under the color of law, the harm reaches far beyond a single victim," U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz said in a statement. "It erodes community trust and undermines what it means to wear the uniform. Rodriguez’s abusive and predatory actions here were not only illegal, but immoral and disgusting."
According to the Laredo Morning Times, he joined the agency as a correctional officer in 2021 and was promoted to deputy in November 2023. He resigned from the Webb County Sheriff's Office two days after the incident, reports show.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Laredo Police Department. Rodriguez will remain in custody pending his transfer to a federal prison facility.
The Source: The information and mugshot in this article is from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas.