Ohio man accused of hiding in woman’s trunk before kidnapping her at gunpoint

HARRISON, Ohio (WXIX) - Jarrod Rodriguez, 40, from Ohio is under arrest on several violent felony charges after he was accused of hiding in a woman’s trunk to assault and kidnap her, WXIX reported.

“I was on my way to school and I got into my car and onto the highway, and he had hid in the hatchback. He was waiting for me,” the woman said. “He jumped in the front seat and started beating me. I didn’t know he was in my car.”

She says Rodriguez is her ex-boyfriend.

“We were fighting,” she said. “We’ve been fighting. I was going to file a restraining order on him today.”

Once the victim drove off, Rodriguez climbed out of the trunk and into her passenger seat, according to court records.

Police say he punched in her face and made her believe that he was going to kill her.

Rodriguez pulled out a “black handgun and a knife out of his backpack” and put the gun to the woman’s side, according to police.

“He then ordered her to drive faster and told her where to go, all while holding the gun to her side,” the affidavit said. “Mr. Rodriguez then told her he would shoot her up with enough heroin to make her overdose.”

The woman was able to pull the vehicle over after some time and get out.

This is when witnesses called 911 and reported Rodriguez, armed with a gun, hitting the woman to try and get her back into the vehicle.

She got away and was able to call police from a gas station. Rodriguez drove off in her vehicle.

He was arrested on Thursday and made his first court appearance on Friday. His bond was set at $250,000 on charges of kidnapping, aggravated robbery, assault and aggravated menacing.

He has been arrested before for domestic violence in 2018 when he was accused of pushing his wife and the mother of his children into a wall. The charge was dropped a few months later when a witness did not appear to testify.

Rodriguez was charged last year with misdemeanor drug possession and receiving stolen property. Both of those charges also ultimately were dismissed or ignored.

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