Ontario Councilor Freddy Rodriguez speaks at the Black Lives Matter rally at Ontario City Hall on June 4. (Rachel Parsons/The Enterprise)
ONTARIO – Freddy Rodriguez, an Ontario city councilor embroiled in a public dispute with a former girlfriend, sought and obtained a restraining order against her on Friday, June 19.
The woman two weeks earlier had obtained her own restraining order against Rodriguez. The Enterprise doesn’t identify victims of abuse but is identifying the city councilor because of his public position.
Malheur County Circuit Judge Lung Hung issued the restraining order the same day Rodriguez petitioned for it.
The order issued last week requires the former girlfriend to have no contact with Rodriguez. The order prohibits the victim from “entering, attempting to enter, or remaining in the area within” 500 feet of Rodriguez’s residence and place of employment, as well as knowingly being within 150 feet of him.
She could be held on $5,000 bail if she violates the order.
Rodriguez, who described himself in his petition as 6 feet 4 and 240 pounds, said that the woman “made me fear that I was about to be physically injured.”
In his petition, Rodriguez detailed three incidents in June when he claimed the subject of his order was parked outside his Ontario home or drove by slowly.
He said in his court filing that the woman “led me to believe she can hurt me through her ex’s/employees” and two former boyfriends “would happily loan or acquire” a weapon for her.
Rodriguez identified one of those as Pat Caldwell, a reporter at the Enterprise who had dated the victim.
Rodriguez said the victim told him that she asked Caldwell and another Enterprise reporter “to write a story about my domestic history to erase me.”
“She said that she was turned down and told that they ‘Can’t just randomly write a negative story about [an] elected official when nothing has happened,’” Rodriguez said in the petition.
The woman told the Enterprise by email that she denied the claims in his petition and would seek a court hearing to get the restraining order dismissed.
Rodriguez was restrained by a June 4 order from having any contact with the victim. He faces a bail of $50,000 – 10 times the normal amount – if he violates the order.
He told the Enterprise recently he intended to contest the restraining order but as of Monday, no such hearing had been requested, according to court officials.
News tip? Contact the Malheur Enterprise by email at [email protected] or 541-473-3377.
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR CONTINUING SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY
SUBSCRIBE – $5 a month, automatically.
DONATE – to provide additional support. You can also mail a check: Malheur Enterprise, PO Box 310 Vale OR 97918. Donor identities are confidential unless the donor specifies otherwise. Thank you!