A man accused of sexually assaulting two women in Putnam Valley over the summer of 2022 is finally behind bars, after authorities say he spent years dodging the charges by fleeing to Mexico. Cesar Hernandez Rodriguez, 34, was taken into custody by Putnam County Sheriff's Office investigators at LaGuardia Airport earlier this month, following his arrest in Toronto, Canada, on an outstanding warrant.
According to dailyvoice.com, Hernandez Rodriguez, a Mexican citizen, was arrested in connection with sexual assaults that allegedly occurred in Putnam Valley on July 4 and 5, 2022. The Sheriff's Office said it began investigating the alleged assaults of two women just two days later, on July 6, 2022.
A Years-Long Manhunt Across Two Countries
Investigators say Hernandez Rodriguez fled the United States for Mexico shortly after the alleged attacks, prompting Putnam County Court to issue an arrest warrant for him in September 2022, per the same dailyvoice.com report. That warrant sat active for years until he was taken into custody in Toronto, as News 12 Hudson Valley also reported.
On Wednesday, Oct. 7, Putnam County Sheriff's Office investigators took custody of Hernandez Rodriguez at LaGuardia Airport, bringing him back to New York to finally answer the charges against him, the article notes.
Sixteen Felonies, No Bail
Hernandez Rodriguez was charged with 16 felonies and one misdemeanor, including seven counts of predatory sexual assault and three counts of first-degree rape. He was arraigned in Putnam County Court and remanded to the Putnam County Correctional Facility without bail, the outlet reported.
The case did not begin and end with Hernandez Rodriguez alone. Two other people were arrested in 2022 in connection with the same investigation, though further details on those arrests have not been made public.
