On late Thursday afternoon on July 15, 2021, a Maverick County jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty in two separate cases which were consolidated and tried together charging a local man, Juan Jose Rodriguez, with aggravated sexual assault and aggravated kidnapping. Mr. Rodriguez was defended by the father-daughter team of Natasha A. Torres and Gregory D. Torres. Both charges carried a possible punishment range of up to life in prison. The complaining witness, Alexis Benavides, alleged that Mr. Rodriguez lured her to a local motel and used physical force to sexually assault her. Additionally, Ms. Benavides alleged that Mr. Rodriguez used physical force and threats to keep her from leaving the motel room prior to sexually assaulting her. The jury found the State's four witnesses, which included Ms. Benavides and Ranger Jose Sanchez, less than credible and returned a verdict of not guilty. The case in question allegedly transpired in November of 2016 and was not reported by Ms. Benavides until approximately one year later. Evidence was presented that Ms. Benavides had reached out to Mr. Rodriguez and his wife after the alleged incident and never complained about being sexually assaulted.

Additionally, evidence was presented that Ms. Benavides admitted to having a sexual relationship with Mr. Rodriguez and when it was clear that Mr. Rodriguez would not leave his wife, she reported the allegations to the local police. From the onset of the investigation, Mr. Rodriguez maintained that he was innocent and was finally vindicated by 12 honest citizens that made up the Maverick County jury that took less than 11/2 hours to find Mr. Rodriguez not guilty.