Child endangerment just one of several charges man faces

CATHEDRAL CITY — A 39-year-old Cathedral City man was arrested Wednesday, Feb. 8 on charges of child endangerment, following an incident that originated at James Workman Middle School, according to Commander Jon Enos.

Cathedral City Man Arrested for Child EndangermentRoman Rodriguez was also arrested for child endangerment, felon in possession of a firearm, possession of an illegal rifle, and possession of unregistered firearms. He was transported to the Riverside County Jail in Indio.

A 12-year-old juvenile was also taken into custody for criminal threats and transferred to the Indio Juvenile Hall.

The pair were held following the lockdown of Rio Vista Elementary school.

The incident started about 9 a.m. when patrol officers responded to James Workman Middle School, regarding a student who had sent a video to other students making threatening statements while displaying handguns. Officers responded and spoke to school officials and determined the 12-year-old male student, who was not present at school, had displayed two handguns in the video.

Based on information provided, Cathedral City Police Detectives were requested to lead the investigation. A search warrant was requested and ultimately granted by a Riverside County Judge for the juvenile’s residence in the 67700 block of Verona Road.

Since the residence was near Rio Vista Elementary, the department requested the school to go on lockdown for safety precautions. At 11:25 a.m., the school went on lockdown at detectives’ request.

The search warrant was served at 11:35 a.m., and two persons were detained at the residence. The school was notified the lockdown could end at 11:46 a.m. During the search of the residence, three firearms were located in the residence, including the ones depicted in the video.

The department reminds and encourages parents to monitor their child’s activity on their cell phones, social media accounts and gaming apps with chat features. Parents should regularly check the contents, including pictures and videos, on their child’s cell phone.

If you have information related to this incident or believe you may have information, please contact the Cathedral City Police Department at (760) 770-0300; or via the Cathedral City Police Department website at: cathedralcitypolice.com; or email tips@cathedralcity.gov. You may also report information anonymously through Coachella Valley Crime Stoppers, by calling (760) 341-STOP; or through the WeTip hotline at: 1-(800)-78-CRIME or WWW.WETIP.com. Some tip information may qualify
for a cash reward

 

 

 

 

Image Sources

  • Confiscated weapons: CCPD
  • Arrested in handcuffs: Image by 4711018 from Pixabay