Systemic or Bad Seed? –
October 20, 2018 – The attack occurred on Oct. 5 at Phoenix Rising, a facility providing housing and specialized services for young people struggling with addiction, mental-health issues and homelessness. It is part of the larger Valley Cities Behavioral Health campus in Auburn. Rodriguez initially denied sexually assaulting the victim when he was arrested on Oct. 9 by Auburn police. When confronted with the existence of video, he admitted to groping the victim and to strangling her “a little,” according to the police report. The woman told police she had first met Rodriguez three months earlier, when she was first admitted to the facility. She said he had then made her uncomfortable by trying to persuade her to be alone with him. She said she grew fearful of him and left the facility to live on the streets.
