NJ councilman faces 3rd set of criminal charges in a year

⭕ Dover Councilman Sergio Rodriguez was criminally charged for a third time

⭕ The Democrat used his office to threaten a business, police say

⭕Rodriguez was charged in February and October

DOVER  — A municipal elected official is facing criminal charges for the third time in the past year, this time accusing him of using his office to threaten a business owner's liquor license.

Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll said Sergio Rodriguez, 29, identified himself as a Dover Town Council member to the employee of a liquor store on Oct. 25 and said that if they continued to sell to individuals seen drinking in a nearby courtyard their liquor license would not be renewed. Rodriguez repeated the threat during a later conversation with the store owner, prosecutors said.

The Demorcrat was charged with one count of fourth-degree criminal coercion and released, according to Carroll. The name of the business was not disclosed.

Karol Ruiz, whose council term ended on New Year's Eve, called for Rodriquez to resign.

"It is with great disappointment and frustration that I repeat the demand that Sergio Rodriguez resign from our Dover Council. This is his THIRD criminal charge in just barely a year of serving on the Council," the fellow Democrat wrote.

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Previous legal problems

Rodriquez was charged by Dover police with assaulting a homeless person in February in the township's downtown because he believed he and others had been drinking. Rodriguez kicked the man in the right hand and lectured him about drinking in public, according to police.

The former intern for U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J. 11th District, followed the other men, forcing them into a roadway, according to police. He then "blocked their route of escape" causing a “dangerous condition,” according to police. Rodriquez eventually backed off his criticism of how police handled the situation and apologized for reacting in a "nasty or hasty way."

Rodriquez was arrested on Sept. 25 and charged with third-degree aggravated assault, the Morristown Daily Record reported. According to the police report obtained by the newspaper, Rodriguez grabbed a man by his shirt from behind and shoved him to the ground. The victim's head hit a concrete wall as he fell, cutting the back of his head and briefly knocking him unconscious, the report said.

Mayor James Dodd, also a Democrat, called for Rodriquez's resignation at the time. As of Friday afternoon, he had not commented on the latest charge.

In a response to New Jersey 101.5 on Friday, Rodriguez declined to discuss the episode in detail.

"I have no comment at this time, but I do hope this case is reported in its entirety, including its resolution, rather than only covering the allegations made against me,” Rodriguez said in an email.

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