Motel room standoff suspect sentenced to 14 years
August 11, 2016
Richard Anthony Rodriguez
A Nipomo man whom San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s deputies spent two weeks searching for has received a 14-year prison sentence for attempted murder. The search for Richard Anthony Rodriguez included a 12-hour standoff with an empty motel room.
On Feb. 16., Rodriguez, 30, fired a shot at his ex-girlfriend and two other women after driving alongside them in Nipomo. No one suffered injuries in the shooting.
A search ensued, and early in the morning on Feb. 19, Paso Robles police found Rodriguez’s vehicle at a Motel 6.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the Paso Robles motel about 45 minutes later. Deputies cordoned off the motel, shut down a road and spent hours trying to speak to Rodriguez, who they thought was inside the room.
But, Rodriguez had likely fled prior to deputies arriving to the motel. After breaking down the motel room door and sending a robot inside to search for Rodriguez, deputies concluded the suspect was was not there.
Ten days later, deputies tracked down Rodriguez in Arroyo Grande and arrested him.
On July 13, Rodriguez was convicted of one count of attempted murder. The conviction came with a seven-year sentence, but Rodriguez’s prison term was doubled because he had a prior strike on his record.
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