Christian Rodriguez, 38, Arrested on Felony Child Abuse Charge Involving Girl, 15

Christian Rodriguez, a 38-year-old resident of Bren Mar Lane in Palm Coast who’s scheduled for a circuit court plea hearing in a drunk driving case later this month, was arrested and charged with felony child abuse Saturday in an allegation involving a 15-year-old girl.

The issue arose the evening of March 25 when the 15-year-old texted a friend allegedly to call police. She texted soon after that to ask that the call not be made. By then 911 had been alerted. A deputy reported to the house to investigate. A 16-year-old witness spoke to the deputy and said that “everything was alright,” according to an incident report, and that she didn’t know why the younger girl had asked her friend to call police.

The alleged victim said there’d been arguments “all night” that had turned violent, she got scared, and at that point asked her friend to call 911. Rodriguez had not returned home the previous night, and when he had the evening of March 25, the arguments began. Rodriguez, according to the witness, did grab the alleged victim, but that the reverse had also been true. Rodriguez–who had a domestic violence arrest in New York some 10 years ago–himself admitted to grabbing the girl in an interview with the investigator, but he showed scratches on his forearm.

The investigator could not determine a primary aggressor, so there was no arrest, though Rodriguez agreed to leave the house for the evening. Deputies stood by as he gathered his belongings.

Three days later, the deputy working at Matanzas High School got a call from the Department of Children and Families about the March 25 disturbance. The DCF investigator had received an anonymous report that the girl had visible injuries on her legs. (School officials are required by law to report to DCF any reasonable evidence of child abuse.) The DCF investigator told the school resource deputy that Rodriguez allegedly kicked the girl “and struck her with a belt causing a deep bruise on her left forearm, left buttocks and her right knee.” The girl was to be taken to Daytona Beach for a Child Protection Team interview.

The investigation resumed from the Sheriff’s Office’s end. On Friday (March 31), Circuit Judge Dennis Craig signed a warrant for Rodriguez’s arrest on a third-degree felony charge of child abuse, and a first-degree misdemeanor charge of domestic violence, along with a no-contact order with the alleged victim. Rodriguez’s bond was set at $2,500, which he posted within four hours of his arrest the morning of April 1. He had faced two felony charges in late 2013 over allegations of dealing in stolen property and fraud.