The boyfriend of Isabella Comas was arrested on suspicion of costs associated to her disappearance, however not her disappearance itself.
Comas, 21, was final seen on Jan. 11 in Avondale. Her cellular phone and automobile have been later positioned and recovered miles away, in Phoenix.
Tommy Rodriguez, 39, is now in custody on suspicion of theft of technique of transportation and legal harm, in keeping with Avondale police spokesperson Jaret Redfearn.
Comas continues to be lacking, and Rodriguez stays an individual of curiosity within the investigation, Redfearn mentioned. Police beforehand mentioned there have been “suspicious circumstances” surrounding Comas’ case.
Rodriguez, at his Jan. 16 preliminary look, mentioned he has been absolutely cooperating with police.
“I did not attempt to conceal,” he mentioned. “I did not attempt to flee.”
Daybreak Sauer, a prosecutor with the Maricopa County Legal professional’s Workplace, advised the courtroom that “instantly” after committing the crimes he was booked on, Rodriguez left the state on a one-way ticket. She acknowledged that he travels rather a lot on one-way tickets bought by his employer.
Sauer requested that Rodriguez be held on a $100,000 money bond, saying he had an incentive to flee as a result of he knew he was the first suspect in Comas’ disappearance case. She mentioned he had a historical past of home violence offenses.
Rodriguez already “went to nice lengths” to destroy proof that linked him to Comas’ stolen automobile, Sauer mentioned. If he have been launched, she mentioned, he may attempt to harm extra proof associated to Comas’ disappearance. Sauer added Rodriguez seemingly knew the place Comas was.
Rodriguez advised the courtroom it was true he was out of state, but it surely was as a result of he already had a scheduled flight for work. He mentioned he was in a position to instantly get a flight again to Arizona so he may converse with investigators.
He acknowledged his home violence offenses, however mentioned they have been prior to now and had nothing to do along with his case.
“My girlfriend got here up lacking they usually’re stating a number of stuff in opposition to me, and that is like rather a lot to, like, uh, I do not know,” Rodriguez mentioned.
Commissioner William Cawthon mentioned he had many considerations with the case, including that the paperwork detailing the allegations in opposition to him that police submitted to the courtroom was 9 pages lengthy. That paperwork, which is often publicly out there, was sealed at Sauer’s request.
Cawthon mentioned some extent of concern for him was that Rodriguez was accused of taking and damaging Comas’ automobile and leaving it in a situation that leads individuals to fret about her. He mentioned he was additionally involved about Rodriguez’s legal historical past, which incorporates felony convictions of aggravated assault, prohibited possession of a weapon and stalking.
Cawthon pushed again on the excessive bond quantity requested by Sauer, saying the request appeared to stem from costs that Rodriguez was not arrested on.
As a substitute, Cawthon ordered a $25,000 secured bond for Rodriguez’s present case, in addition to a $25,000 secured bond for violating his probation. Rodriguez was on probation for his felony convictions, in keeping with the Maricopa County Superior Court docket web site.
A secured bond means Rodriguez can undergo a bonding firm.
If he posts bail, Cawthon ordered that he be positioned on digital monitoring, give up any passports, not depart the county, contact any victims, drive a automobile and not using a legitimate driver’s license or possess any weapons, medication or alcohol.
What occurred to Isabella Comas?
Comas was final seen leaving a good friend’s home at about 3 p.m. on Jan. 11 close to 111th Avenue and Van Buren Avenue in Avondale. She was reported lacking after she didn’t decide a good friend up from work, in keeping with a Turquoise Alert issued by the Arizona Division of Public Security.
Comas additionally did not present as much as work on Jan. 12 and couldn’t be reached by cellphone.
The Avondale Police Division mentioned her cellular phone was discovered at a recycling heart in Phoenix on Jan. 12, and her automobile, a purple 2011 Hyundai Sonata, was discovered close to 67th Avenue and Indian Faculty Highway the next evening.
Comas was final seen in a white shirt with a black emblem depicting figures of a person and a lady, usually seen on lavatory indicators. The figures are sporting over-ear headphones and, above them is the phrase “HARDSTYLE.”
Anybody with info on Comas’ whereabouts is requested to name Avondale police at 623-333-7001.
This text initially appeared on Arizona Republic: Boyfriend of lacking Isabella Comas held on bond