By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today
A Cedar City man has been sentenced to jail after pleading guilty to a second-degree felony charge stemming from a reported sexual assault inside a taxi last year.
Fifth District Judge Matthew L. Bell sentenced Manuelito Rodriguez, 25, to an indeterminate term of one to 15 years in the Utah State Prison for forcible sexual abuse.
The prison sentence was suspended, and Rodriguez was ordered to serve 364 days in jail with credit for 116 days already served, according to court records. Rodriguez was also placed on supervised probation for 48 months.
A $10,000 fine was imposed but suspended, and restitution remains open for later determination.
Iron County Attorney Trajan Evans said the sentence imposed by the court exceeded the midpoint recommendation under Utah’s sentencing guidelines.
I know that a lot of community members might be surprised that such serious conduct carries so little jail time,” he said. “They might even believe that 364 days in jail is a light sentence. But, this is the framework that judges have to work with when sentencing defendants in the State of Utah.”
“If a judge is going to deviate from this matrix, he or she must have compelling reasons to do so. The 364 days that was ordered in this case is more than three times what the midpoint of the matrix recommended. I’m grateful that Judge Bell took into consideration the seriousness of this offense and hopefully this sentence gave the victim a sense of justice.”
The charges stem from a May 7, 2025 incident in Cedar City. According to charging documents filed in the case, police were called to an assault in progress near 500 South Cross Hollow Road after a fight broke out following a taxi ride from a bar.
Officers learned the fight began after a female passenger reported she had been sexually assaulted during the ride home.
The woman told police Rodriguez repeatedly grabbed her breasts and vagina inside the taxi despite being told to stop. Video from inside the taxi reportedly captured the contact and the victim telling him to stop.
Rodriguez told officers he had touched the woman’s breasts but claimed the two had been “making out” during the ride.
When the taxi dropped the passengers off, a fight broke out between two men involved in the incident. During that altercation, a firearm Rodriguez had in the back of his pants fell out and was kicked down the street.
Police reported Rodriguez admitted he had been drinking, and a preliminary breath test showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.26, more than three times the legal driving limit of 0.08 in Utah.
Rodriguez initially faced additional charges including carrying a dangerous weapon while under the influence and public intoxication, but those charges were later dismissed as the case proceeded through the court system.