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Victim Of New Rochelle Cop Sex Assault Speaks Out
CBS News
Tony Aiello
Teen Tells CBS 2 HD Of Forgettable Night When Former Sgt. David Rodriguez Turned Her Life Upside-Down
New Rochelle (CBS) - A Westchester County teenager has broken her silence in a shocking sex assault case. She told CBS 2 HD exclusively a New Rochelle cop took advantage of her at the moment she most needed help.
For eight months she stayed silent -- even as her credibility was questioned by attorneys. But now, the teen who accused New Rochelle Police Sgt. David Rodriguez of sex assault wants to tell her side of the story.
"I don't feel safe. I'm scared," the teen told CBS 2 HD. "Cause I don't know what's going to happen."
She understands English but speaks mostly in Spanish. On Feb. 8, she was 17 and living with the 35-year-old father of her baby boy.
That night Rodriguez supervised as New Rochelle Police arrested the boyfriend for threatening her. Rodriguez returned after his shift ended at midnight.
"He told me that people like me with domestic violence situations have a lot of help in this country," the teen said.
But, the teen said, Rodriguez quickly turned "flirty."
"He asked, 'Don't you think I'm sexy?'" she said, adding her fears started to grow. "Cause his face didn't show me someone like he want to help me."
The teen said she felt intimidated as Rodriguez held his holstered gun near her head several times.
She said she pushed him away telling him "no."
"Yes, I did … many times. My baby was there, too," she said.
The teen said Rodriguez sexually assaulted her while her baby slept in a crib just a few feet away.
"He told me, 'Just take it as a nightmare and tomorrow when you wake up this will all be in the past,'" the teen said through a translator.
Thirty-six hours later she reported the assault. After a three-week investigation Rodriguez was arrested.
His wife, a local TV news anchor, stood by him. When Sgt. Rodriguez was arrested and he came to court, his wife came with him and afterwards she stood there and she defended him.
"I believe him. I love him and he's innocent, 100 percent," Darlene Rodriguez said back on March 19.
"I felt sorry for her," the teen said. "Overall, it's not her fault. It was actually her husband that pushed himself on me, so, you know, she believes her husband, but it's not my fault and I feel sorry for her."
Last month, the serious felony charge against Rodriguez was dropped. He pleaded guilty to official misconduct. The teen said she thinks he got off easy, but agreed to the deal to avoid the trauma of testifying.
Rodriguez resigned from the force three months ago. His lawyer and the teen's lawyer have been negotiating. A six-figure settlement has been discussed, and rejected.
The teen is likely to file a civil suit soon.