Man accused of slashing woman caught at border crossing

A Highgrove man accused of slashing a female housemate numerous times during an argument was behind bars today in Arizona after federal agents caught him re-entering the country from Mexico.

Jose Alfredo Rodriguez, 20, could face more than 20 years in prison if convicted in the Dec. 30 attack on a woman at his mother’s house at 1143 W. Church St.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Rodriguez and another man, who was not identified, were flagged on Friday for a secondary inspection at the border crossing at San Luis after agents became suspicious the pair were possibly hauling drugs or other contraband from Mexico.

The search of the men’s Dodge pickup turned up nothing, but a background check on Rodriguez revealed an outstanding felony arrest warrant from Riverside County, and he was immediately taken into custody, federal officials said.

Rodriguez, who is awaiting extradition from Arizona, is charged with attempted murder, gun and great bodily injury allegations in connection with the Dec. 30 assault.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit filed by sheriff’s Deputy David Correa, the victim — whose name was not released — and Rodriguez have neighboring rooms at the defendant’s mother’s house.

Correa alleged that, for reasons not fully explained, Rodriguez barged into the woman’s space and slashed her 13 times “over her shoulder, torso and legs.”

The victim was rushed to a hospital for treatment and has since recovered from her wounds.

According to the deputy, Rodriguez’s mother witnessed the end of the alleged attack, responding to the victim’s screams and discovering her “lying on the floor, hunched over her legs, with … Jose Rodriguez standing over her with a bloody knife.”

Rodriguez allegedly fled to Mexico immediately after the assault and remained on the lam for almost four months.