ALBUQUERQUE—The former Rio Arriba County sheriff was sentenced to 10 years in prison for beating a man during a road rage incident involving the sheriff’s personal vehicle, according to officials
On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge James O. Browning sentenced Thomas “Tommy” Rodella, 53, for his conviction on criminal civil rights and firearms charge, deprivation of rights conviction and brandishing a firearm while committing the civil rights offense.
Rodella will be on supervised release for three years after completing his prison sentence. Rodella also was ordered to pay a $200,000.00 fine, officials said.
On Sept. 26, 2014, a federal jury found Rodella guilty of the crimes, officials said.
Rodella was the Sheriff of Rio Arriba County when the jury returned its guilty verdict. He resigned from his position as Sheriff on Sept. 29, 2014.
On June 2014, a local ABC TV affiliate interviewed the victim:
“When he attacked a defenseless innocent civilian, Sheriff Rodella chose to abuse his power rather than uphold his oath to protect the public,” U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez said today.
“The Justice Department will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute officers who cross that line because they discredit the noble service of every other law enforcement officer and weaken the public’s trust in those who are sworn to protect them. I commend the prosecutors and investigators for their outstanding work on this case.”
“The American people hold their law enforcement officers to high standards, and those standards are even higher for the leaders of public safety agencies. Although the FBI realizes the majority of officers perform their duties in an exemplary and even heroic manner, we will not hesitate to investigate those who betray the public’s trust,” said Special Agent in Charge Carol K.O. Lee of the FBI’s Albuquerque Division.
This was evidence presented at Rodellas’s trial:
- The trial evidence indicated that on March 11, 2014, Rodella and his son Thomas Rodella, Jr., who were in Rodella’s personal vehicle, engaged in an unjustified high-speed pursuit of the victim and used the vehicle to block the victim’s vehicle on a dead-end lane.
- Rodella, who was not in uniform, jumped out of his vehicle with firearm in hand, entered the victim’s vehicle, and assaulted the victim with the firearm.
- Rodella, Jr., dragged the victim out of his vehicle and identified the victim’s assailant as the Sheriff.
- When the victim requested to see Rodella’s badge, Rodella pulled the victim’s head up by his hair and slammed his badge into the victim’s face.
- The victim suffered injuries to his face and his hand as a result of the assault; the injury to the victim’s hand required surgical repair.
- The evidence also indicated that Rodella instructed his deputies to arrest the victim and detain him at the Rio Arriba County Detention Center.
- The victim was released from custody two days later after appearing before a state magistrate, and the charges against him were dismissed on March 26.
Deputies of the Rio Arriba Sheriff’s Office testified they did not conduct any investigation of the incident or prepare any reports until after the case was dismissed.
This is not the first time Rodella has been in trouble with law enforcement. The FBI reportedly raided his office after allegations surfaced that people could pay tickets if they donated $500 to an alleged mystery fund.