Police: Man brings knife to fistfight over cheating allegations
SHENANDOAH – A Shenandoah man is in Schuylkill County Prison after state police say he brought a knife to a fistfight and stabbed a man over cheating allegations.
Santos Joseph Rodriguez, 22, of 225 West Centre Street, is facing felony aggravated assault, misdemeanor simple assault and reckless endangerment charges, among others, for a domestic incident last week.
According to the criminal complaint filed by Trooper Justin Duncan of the State Police at Frackville, police were called to 225 West Centre around 6:00am Feb. 26 for a reported domestic incident.
It was the second time that night that troopers were at the home.
When troopers arrived, they found Steven Molino standing shirtless outside the home with his t-shirt wrapped around his shoulder. He told troopers he had been stabbed in the shoulder after a scuffle with Rodriguez.
Molino told troopers he arrived at the residence when another State Police car was at the house earlier in the night handling a domestic dispute between Rodriguez and his girlfriend. After that cruiser left, Molino and Rodriguez’s girlfriend sat in a car in front of the residence talking.
At one point, Rodriguez, police allege, sent a video by text to his girlfriend threatening to smash her grandmother’s lamp.
He followed up with a video of the lamp, smashed, saying he is “not playing around.” The lamp was worth $225, the girlfriend said.
Molino then told troopers that he texted Rodriguez telling him to come outside.
Rodriguez did, and the two men began arguing.
The argument turned physical when Molino told troopers Rodriguez swung at him. Molino tried to dodge a punch and was struck in the shoulder and heard his jacket rip.
Molino saw Rodriguez was wielding a knife and ran back to his vehicle, realizing he had been stabbed. He then took his shirt off to cover the wound while Rodriguez’s girlfriend called the police.
Molino was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital for treatment of injuries.
Troopers took Rodriguez into custody and seized a knife found atop a mailbox near the door.
He was read his Miranda warnings and taken to the state police barracks, where he was inteviewed.
According to the criminal complaint, Rodriguez told troopers that he and his girlfriend were arguing over cheating allegations and that she brought another man to the house during the first dispute.
That man, Molino, he told troopers, was sending him voice messages and threatening him. He said, in respond to the “come outside” text, he grabbed a knife and concealed it.
He told troopers that he did so because “he is not a good fighter” and “he was not going to get beat up this time,” troopers wrote.
Rodriguez slashed back and forth before swinging downward, striking Molino in the shoulder.
When Molino retreated, he placed the knife on the mailbox and called his father.
Rodriguez was arraigned at midday Monday and committed to Schuylkill County Prison, unable to post $75,000 cash bail.
A preliminary hearing is set for March 21 before Magisterial District Judge Anthony Kilker in Shenandoah.
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