Woman abused, held hostage in her home rescued after sending note to school with her child

RACINE COUNTY -- A scary situation in Racine County: A woman was abused and held captive inside her own home -- but she was rescued in part because of her child. A 58-year-old man is now facing charges.

Alejandro Rodriguez

The accused is Alejandro Rodriguez of Racine. He is facing nine criminal charges, and has a lengthy criminal history, dating back to 1976.

The following charges have been filed in this latest case against Rodriguez:

A criminal complaint says on September 27th, an officer was flagged down and advised of a man assaulting a woman in a blue van near 12th Street and S. Memorial Drive. The officer learned the victim could be found in the area near 10th Street and Delamere Avenue.

The officer made contact with the victim -- a 35-year-old woman. She was found with a swollen upper lip, a quarter-inch interior laceration, a scratch to her cheek, and swelling to her forehead. Traces of blood were found on her mouth and teeth.

The victim indicated she had been assaulted by Rodriguez -- telling officials he had grabbed her thigh area with his hand, grabbed her ponytail, and began striking her in the face approximately 10 times. This happened while the woman and Rodriguez were in the vehicle, and the complaint indicates there were five children inside that vehicle at the time (ages 15, 12, 10, 7, and 5).

According to the complaint, the woman attempted to leave the vehicle when Rodriguez let go of her ponytail -- but she told officials Rodriguez grabbed her by her shirt -- tearing her shirt -- before Rodriguez fled the scene.

Ten days later, police were dispatched to an elementary school in Racine. There, the principal reported a teacher received a note from a student reading: "Can you please call the cops? My name is (victim's name) and I live at (victim's address). Alejandro Rodriguez is in my house with a knife, and has threatened to kill me. Unit side door is unlocked. Please help."

An officer was dispatched to the address listed on the note, and reported that as he knocked on the side door, he saw the curtain attached to the door move, revealing the victim, who immediately opened the door and ran outside onto the porch.

Rodriguez was located on the couch, and he was taken into custody.

Police spoke with the victim, who indicated she had arrived home around 9:00 p.m. on October 6th with her children -- and within minutes, Rodriguez arrived at the home. The complaint says Rodriguez confronted the victim, stating: "I am not going back to prison," -- telling the woman he would kill her once the children left for school.

The complaint says throughout the evening and overnight, Rodriguez forced the woman to stay near him.

Eventually, the complaint says, Rodriguez stated he was not going back to prison, and retrieved a knife from his pants pocket -- holding it in front of his face and shaking it -- threatening to kill the woman.

Rodriguez then punched the woman in the stomach, and placed the knife back in his pocket, according to the complaint.

The woman told officers she woke up on October 7th -- and managed to write a note on a piece of paper -- telling her son to give it to a teacher when he got to school in the morning.

When officers arrived at the home, the woman indicated she felt "relieved this event was finally over."

Rodriguez will be in court for a preliminary hearing in this case on October 14th.