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Rodriguez
The Jefferson County grand jury indicted a 19-year-old man on Jan. 25 for sexual assault of a child, a second-degree felony.
According to the indictment, Braeden Antonio Rodriguez, of Port Neches, had sexual intercourse with a female younger than 17 when he was 18 years old.
The probable cause affidavit used to secure the indictment indicates that, on June 10, 2022, officer Mark Goodwin of the Port Neches Police Department (PNPD) stated he received information from the Nederland Police Department (NPD) regarding an 18-year-old male and 14-year-old female engaging in a sexual relationship. The incident occurred in Port Neches, but the girl’s mother, who was advised, didn’t believe any sexual encounter had occurred.
June 21, 2021, the victim’s mother arrived at the PNPD and reported that she discovered that, on May 31, 2021, the accused had intercourse with her daughter.
During a Garth House interview, the victim stated she met Rodriguez on SnapChat and they played games via the app. The victim said Rodriguez said he was 15.
The victim confirmed that she invited Rodriquez to her home and they had sex in her bedroom. The victim said she verbally indicated she did not want to have sex, but froze, because she did not know what to do when Rodriguez took off her shorts.
A friend of the victim was in the bedroom prior, but said she left when the victim and Rodriguez began to kiss. The witness stated that, after Rodriguez left, she went into the room and observed blood on the bed and floor.
According to the affidavit, Rodriguez was brought to the victim’s home twice within a period of the next few days. During that time, a photograph of Rodriguez and the victim was taken of them together in her bed.