By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today
A Cedar City man faces felony sexual abuse charges after allegedly assaulting a woman inside a taxi, leading to a physical altercation that involved a firearm and ended in his arrest.
Manuelito Rodriguez, 24, was charged with two counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse, one class B misdemeanor charge of carrying a dangerous weapon while under the influence, and one class C misdemeanor charge of public intoxication.
According to charging documents filed in 5th District Court, Cedar City Police responded just before midnight on May 7 to reports of an assault in progress near the 500 South block of Cross Hollow Road. Upon arrival, officers found two men fighting.
Witnesses said the fight began after Rodriguez sexually assaulted a female passenger while riding in a taxi home from a local bar.
“The female victim stated that while in the taxi Manuelito would grab her breasts and vagina and continued to do so after she told him to stop,” according to the affidavit.
Taxi surveillance video supports the victim’s account, showing Rodriguez touching her despite repeated objections, the documents said. Rodriguez admitted to officers that he had touched the woman’s breasts but insisted they were “making out during the ride.”
The physical altercation broke out after the taxi dropped Rodriguez, the victim, and another man at their destination. During the fight, a firearm Rodriguez was carrying fell from his waistband onto the street and was kicked away. Rodriguez allegedly admitted to police that he was carrying the weapon while intoxicated and at the bar.
Rodriguez consented to a preliminary breath test, which indicated his blood alcohol level at 0.26%, more than three times Utah’s legal limit. Rodriguez was booked into the Iron County Jail. He is scheduled for a bail hearing May 20.