A 34-year-old seasonal worker was arrested Wednesday after he was accused of surreptitiously entering a woman’s motel room in Randle and forcing physical contact.
Arnoldo Andrade Rodriguez faces charges of first-degree burglary with sexual motivation and fourth-degree assault, and could spend up to life in prison if convicted of the burglary charge. Fourth-degree assault is considered a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to 364 days in jail.
Rodriguez made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Thursday.
According to the probable cause affidavit filed by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, a Lewis County Sheriff’s Office deputy arrived at the Randle Motel at approximately 8:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 28, and spoke with a female occupant who lives in one of the units.
The woman told the deputy she was watching a movie with a friend for about 45 minutes. After the friend left, the woman went into the bathroom.
When she exited, she saw a man standing right in front of her. She recognized him as one of the men staying in another unit at the motel.
According to the affidavit, “The male immediately advanced toward her, touching her sides with his hands.”
The man allegedly tried to pull her toward him in a sexual manner.
“She said his actions made her extremely uncomfortable and that she believed he was attempting to force a sexual act,” the affidavit stated.
The woman pushed the man away and told him she didn’t know him. She told him to leave.
That’s when the man allegedly said, “I know you. I see you through your window.”
The woman threatened to call the motel manager, and the man reportedly left the unit.
“As he stepped outside, she heard him say, ‘Okay, let's go,’ which led her to believe another person might have been standing there,” the affidavit stated.
The man reportedly lingered outside the unit. First the woman heard rattling from the door knob. Then she saw the man looking at her through her kitchen window.
“If you call, I have videos of you,” the man allegedly told the woman.
Finally, after the woman yelled at him, the man left the area.
The woman described the man’s appearance and outfit to officers and said she had seen him and another man at a local bar days earlier. The woman alleged that the two men had taken pictures and photographs of her and other women that night before being kicked out of the bar.
The deputy spoke with the motel manager, who said the man was likely a seasonal worker staying in one of the rooms.
The deputy then spoke with the supervisor who rented the room for the workers. He allegedly identified Rodriguez as the suspect, and said he had hired Rodriguez out of Oregon as a seasonal forest laborer. He told the deputy where he could find Rodriguez working the next day.
On Wednesday, another deputy arrested Rodriguez. According to the affidavit, Rodriguez claimed the woman was a prostitute and said he wanted the deputy to arrest her.
It remains unclear — at least in the affidavit — how Rodriguez gained entry into the woman’s room the night of the alleged incident.
During the preliminary hearing, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher requested a bail of $100,000 cash or surety, saying Rodriguez had no ties to Washington other than his temporary employment, which Meagher indicated no longer existed since his arrest.
According to court documents, Rodriguez was in possession of a “Mexico ID card” upon arrest.
More important to the state, Meagher said, was the allegation that Rodriguez had conducted a home invasion attack on a person he didn’t know. The prosecutor, expressing concern for the victim’s safety, asked for a protection order to be placed on the victim’s behalf pending trial, along with a corresponding requirement for Rodriguez to surrender any weapons.
Defense attorney Rachael Tiller asked for no more than $50,000 in bail, arguing that bail would be difficult for Rodriguez, and stated that a no-contact order on behalf of the alleged victim is a standard requirement of release and should allay any specific safety concerns.
Judge Paul Strophy granted the state’s request for $100,000 cash or bond, citing the nature of the allegations and concerns for community safety. Less significant, Strophy said, were his concerns about Rodriguez’s ability to return to court based on his lack of Washington ties.
Strophy entered a pretrial sexual assault protection order on behalf of alleged victim and prohibited Rodriguez from possessing or controlling firearms while the case is pending.
An arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 6. Don Blair has been assigned to represent Rodriguez.
