UPDATE, SEPT. 8, 10:55 A.M.: Due to media coverage of the indecent exposure charges against John Rodriguez, a fifth female has come forward to accuse the 20-year-old Santa Ana dental assistant of flashing his penis at her as she walked to school, prosecutors say.
Rodriguez, who is scheduled to be arraigned in Westminster on the new charges Friday morning, is now up to one felony count of attempted sexual battery, five misdemeanor counts of
indecent exposure and four misdemeanor counts of child annoyance.
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Conviction on all those charges would produce a maximum sentence of five years and six months in
custody and an order to register as a sex offender. Under recently enacted safety zone laws, the Weekly's onetime Ugly Police Mugshot of the Week winner would be prohibited from entering Orange County, Irvine and Westminster parks
without prior permission from the respective police and/or sheriff's departments.
In the most recently reported case, Rodriguez is accused of driving in his car up to a 16-year-old girl who was walking along Edinger Avenue to Valley High School in Santa Ana on Aug. 11, and asking her if she needed a ride. She refused and kept walking, but Rodriguez allegedly drove his car forward to her again and asked through the
window, “Want some dick?” before pulling out his member,
stroking it and showing it off to the horrified girl.
She ran off toward a group of women crossing the street and later reported
the pervertry to Santa Ana Unified School District police. A report
was taken but the identity of the flasher was unknown at that time. But when the Orange County District Attorney's office publicized the Rodriguez case on Aug. 22, the girl contacted school police to say he was the man who exposed his junk to her on Aug. 11.
As Deputy District Attorney Richard Zimmer whips up his case on the current charges, the investigation continues. Besides Valley High, Rodriguez is accused of preying at La Quinta High School in Santa Ana and Los Amigos High School in Fountain Valley.
Read the description of him, his car and his alleged methods in our original Aug. 22 post on the next page. If you believe Rodriguez also victimized you, contact District Attorney
Investigator Carl Waddell at 714.834.7538, Fountain Valley Police Detective Jesse Hughes
at 714.593.4480 or Westminster Police Detective Claudia McCarthy at 714.548.3736.
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ORIGINAL POST, AUG. 22, 1:44 P.M.: When 20-year-old Santa Ana resident John Rodriguez was nominated Friday for posing for the Ugliest Police Mugshot of the Week, he was facing only one misdemeanor count of indecent exposure. He's now up to four, along with three new misdemeanor counts of child annoyance.
And the Orange County District Attorney's office (OCDA) says it's looking for more girls he may have flashed his penis at.
The OCDA, which is asking that Rodriguez be held in lieu of $250,000 bail at his arraignment in Westminster this afternoon, provided details of the additional allegations in a statement:
At approximately 8:45 a .m. on Jan. 25, 2011, Rodriguez is accused of
driving in his car and approaching 15-year-old Jane Doe #1, who was
walking on Newhope Street and Opal Avenue in Fountain Valley to Los
Amigos High School. Rodriguez is accused of asking the victim for
directions to Mile Square Park. As Jane Doe #1 began to give him
directions, he is accused of pulling down the front portion of his
shorts and exposing his penis to the victim. Rodriguez is accused of
reaching out and grabbing the victim's right wrist and attempting to
pull her arm inside the vehicle through the open passenger side window.
Jane Doe #1 was able to escape to her school and reported the sexual
assault to the Fountain Valley Police Department (FVPD). The defendant
is accused of fleeing the scene.At approximately 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 18, 2011, Rodriguez is accused of
driving in his car and approaching two female siblings, who were walking
to Los Amigos High School in Fountain Valley. While in a residential
area on Holly Avenue and San Gabriel Street, he is accused of asking
17-year-old Jane Doe #2 and her 14-year-old sister Jane Doe #3 for
directions through his open driver side window to Newhope Street. After
the victims gave the defendant directions, Rodriguez is accused of
driving away. Seconds later, he is accused of returning again in his car
and approaching the victims to offer them a ride. Jane Doe #2 and Jane
Doe #3 said no, and then Rodriguez is accused of exposing his penis to
the victims and stroking it while seated in his car and asking, “You
want some of this?” The defendant is accused of fleeing the scene. The
two siblings called their father, who instructed them to continue to
school and report the incident to police. FVPD investigated the case.At approximately 8:40 a.m. on Aug. 16, 2011, 18-year-old Jane Doe #4 was
walking on McFadden Avenue to La Quinta High School in Santa Ana.
Rodriguez is accused of approaching the victim in his car and calling
out his window to get her attention. Jane Doe #4, thinking he needed
directions, walked up to the open passenger side window. Rodriguez is
accused of exposing his penis to the victim while holding it and asking,
“How about some of this?” Jane Doe #4 moved away from the vehicle and
was able to obtain the vehicle's license plate. The defendant is accused
of fleeing the scene. Once at school, the victim reported the sexual
assault.
Based on the current charges, Rodriguez could spend three years and six
months behind bars and have to register as a sex offender if convicted.
He could also become one of the first new registrants barred from entering county
parks and city parks in Irvine and Westminster that prohibit the entry
of known perverts. Other cities are considering bans.
Besides the mugshot and an earlier statement that described Rodriguez as being 6-foot-1 and 350 pounds, this is what is known about him: he drives a black 2009 Toyota Camry and works as a dental assistant at Western Dental, 500 North Main St., Santa Ana.
By the way, still no clear winner for last week's ugliest mugshot. Vote early, vote often at the link above. More importantly, anyone who believes they have been victimized by Rodriguez or has any other information that can help investigators is asked to contact Supervising District Attorney
Investigator Carl Waddell at 714.834.7538, FVPD Detective Jesse Hughes
at 714.593.4480 or WPD Detective Claudia McCarthy at 714.548.3736.
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.