New Mexico sheriff guilty of pistol-whipping, civil rights violations

A sheriff in New Mexico was convicted by a federal jury Friday of weapons charges and violating a man’s civil rights after a car pursuit.

Rio Arriba County Sheriff Thomas Rodella, 56, was found guilty of violating the civil rights of a driver, identified as Michael Tafoya by the Associated Press, and brandishing a firearm during a violent crime in an assault on Tafoya.

Federal prosecutors said Rodella and his son chased the man in their car and once they cornered him on a dead-end street, the sheriff got out with his gun, got into the man’s car and pistol-whipped him.

Prosecutors say Rodella’s son pulled the victim from his car. When Tafoya asked to see the elder Rodella’s badge, the sheriff responded by slamming his badge into the victim’s eye and shouting “You want to see my badge? Here’s my badge, [expletive].”

The elder Rodella then had the driver jailed for two days. Tafoya was never charged, prosecutors said.

“Because officers who serve with honor and integrity deserve our respect and support, it is vitally important to prosecute those who violate their oaths of office and the public trust placed in them,” U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez said in a statement. “Today a federal jury found that in attacking an innocent civilian, Sheriff Rodella chose to abuse his power rather than uphold his oath to protect the public.”

A sentencing date has not been scheduled for Rodella. He faces up to 17 years in federal prison.

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