Men enter not guilty pleas in abuse cases

EAU CLAIRE — Two men charged with sexually abusing children pleaded not guilty this week in Eau Claire county court.

Daniel Rodriguez, 40, Eau Claire and Christopher Rodriguez, 41, Phoenix, Ariz., were charged in June after a woman told police the two had abused her when she was brought to a home day care between the ages of 3-6. According to the criminal complaint she said Christopher Rodriguez abused her "too many times to count," primarily by fondling her genitals.

That investigation led police to interview several other people as witnesses, and one said he was also a victim. He accused Daniel Rodriguez of sexually abusing him, and later doing so along with Christopher Rodriguez, a total of 13 or 14 times.

Christopher faces three counts of repeated sexual assault of the same child, with the last charge including a party to a crime modifier.

Daniel is charged with repeated sexual assault of the same child as party to a crime.

Defense attorneys for the men asked for an extension of the deadline for filing motions "as both parties are still waiting on discovery. The court agreed, setting a status conference for February 2025. Christopher Rodriguez may attend that hearing remotely.

The charges could result in lengthy sentences. As Class B felonies they are among the most serious in Wisconsin law. People convicted of a Class B felony can face up to 60 years in prison for each count.

The Philippines said on Wednesday it would not stand in the way if former President Rodrigo Duterte wants to surrender to the International Criminal Court, and would be obliged to comply with any international arrest warrant over his "war on drugs". During a congressional hearing on Wednesday into the bloody crackdown on narcotics that killed thousands of Filipinos, the mercurial Duterte said he was not scared of the ICC and told it to "hurry up" on its investigation into possible crimes against humanity. The office of the current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr issued a statement hours later indicating it would be willing to consider handing Duterte over if an Interpol request was made.