St. Peter man accused of abusing vulnerable adult
A St. Peter man stands accused of abusing a vulnerable adult.
Brian Joseph Rodriguez, 47, was charged Friday in Nicollet County Court with felony criminal neglect, and gross misdemeanor 4th-degree assault of a vulnerable adult.
A criminal complaint says Rodriguez repeatedly slapped the victim and hit her on the head. The victim, who is hard of hearing, told police Rodriguez punched her on her shoulders until they were sore and jumped on her legs until she was no longer able to walk on her own. The victim also accused Rodriguez of poking her in the ear.
Police say the victim appeared to be in “very poor condition” when they escorted county personnel to a home in St. Peter to investigate the abuse. Officers noticed broken glass, large holes in the drywall, and dark streaks on the walls. The complaint says the victim’s barefoot showed signs of significant infection and she had suffered a brain bleed.
Rodriguez told investigators that the victim fell a lot and he believed she had hit her hand at the end of January. He blamed her worsening health and frequent falls on two extra-strength Tylenol caplets he had given her for headaches. Rodriguez said the victim may have suffered an “overdose” from taking them both at once, according to the complaint.
Rodriguez initially denied hitting the victim over the head, but said they might have bumped heads one time. He admitted to slapping her on the neck near her hairline. When he was specifically if he lost his temper and hit the victim in the head, he responded, “I bet I did,” according to the complaint.
Rodriguez denied jumping on the victim’s feet, but recalled stepping on her feet when he was wearing shoes. Rodriguez said that he may have accidentally stepped on the victim’s feet multiple times, and that victim’s injuries may be from playing rough, says the complaint. Rodriguez told investigators the victim liked to get rough in the past and described her as “fighty-ish.”
Rodriguez allegedly admitted to jumping on the victim’s legs to get her to move faster, according to the complaint.
When he was shown a picture of the victim’s forehead injury, police say Rodriguez admitted he may have slapped the victim on the front of her head. He also told investigators that the victim’s brain bleed either happened when he hit her in the head, or when she fell.
According to the complaint, Rodriguez also told police he was mad about the victim breaking or bumping the thermostat and believed he might have hit the victim, according to the complaint.
The victim is deemed a vulnerable adult due to multiple health and memory issues possibly related to dementia.
Rodriguez has been summoned to appear in Nicollet County Court. He’s also charged with misdemeanor domestic assault.
