Friends of Kidnapping Victim Speak Out
By: Lisa Carr
Updated: May 6, 2008
The week-long search for an accused kidnapper is now over. Police say 29-year-old Jon Ray Rodriguez surrendered to police in Oklahoma Tuesday morning and now his alleged victim's friends speak to us about the arrest.
Police say Rodriguez kidnapped his girlfriend and nearly beat her to death back in February, then tampered with evidence to get out of jail on bond. His alleged victim's friends tell us they couldn't just sit around doing nothing as police tried to get Rodriguez back behind bars so, they used the internet to help in the search. The victim's friend, Sirisha Reddy, says she started this group on Facebook called "Capture the criminal Jon Rodriguez" because she wanted as many people as possible to see Rodriguez's face and be searching for him. Rodriguez turned himself in in Woodward, Oklahoma Tuesday morning, and it appears he fled there to stay with his mother. Police say it is possible the Facebook page helped in this investigation and the victim's friends say they're just relieved Rodriguez is behind bars where he can't hurt anyone else.
Rodriguez should be back in Lubbock soon to face charges of tampering with evidence and breach of computer security. This is the third time he's been accused of beating up a girlfriend. He is currently on probation for one of those other assaults.
