Culdesac Man Sentenced for Nez Perce Reservation Assault

Ricardo Daniel Rodriguez, 39, of Culdesac, Idaho, was sentenced yesterday to six months in federal prison for assault, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced. U.S. Magistrate Judge Mikel H. Williams also ordered Rodriguez to serve six months of supervised release following his prison term and pay $4,320 in restitution. Rodriguez was convicted by a federal jury on November 16, 2010.

During the two-day trial, the jury heard evidence that on May 18, 2009, Rodriguez assaulted Jeffory Talbott, an Idaho State Police Trooper, by striking, beating, and wounding Talbott. The charge arose from a traffic stop that Talbott initiated on a county highway within the Nez Perce Indian Reservation. Rodriguez was a passenger in the pickup truck that Talbott stopped. The assault occurred shortly after the traffic stop. During the incident, Talbott fired his service weapon. Vern Ellenwood was killed and Rodriguez was wounded.

The case was investigated by the Nez Perce County Sheriff's Office, Nez Perce Tribal Police Department, and Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The United States Attorney's Office has jurisdiction over cases involving a non-Indian victim and an Indian defendant that occur within the boundaries of the Nez Perce Indian Reservation.