A 23-year-old Hailey man, who has been previously deported to Mexico, now faces two felony charges in Blaine County for allegedly punching his girlfriend in the face and having a small amount of methamphetamine in his wallet when arrested.
Adrian Rodriguez-Ayala was arraigned Monday in Blaine County 5th District Court on felony charges of domestic battery resulting in traumatic injury and possession of methamphetamine. He is also charged with the misdemeanor crimes of possession of drug paraphernalia and intentional destruction of a telephone line or telecommunication instrument.
Through court-appointed attorney Douglas Werth, Rodriguez-Ayala pleaded not guilty to all four charges. Judge Robert J. Elgee scheduled a three-day jury trial to begin Sept. 11.
Rodriguez-Ayala remains incarcerated in the Blaine County jail on $100,000 bond. An immigration detainer has been filed against him by the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency accusing him of being in the United States illegally.
A Spanish-speaking court interpreter assisted Rodriguez-Ayala in understanding the proceedings at Monday's hearing.
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Elgee advised the defendant that the domestic battery charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and the methamphetamine possession charge by up to seven years in prison.
The charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and intentional destruction of a telecommunications device are both punishable by up to a year in jail.
Rodriguez-Ayala was charged with the crimes following his arrest by Hailey police at about 6 p.m. on May 25. Patrolman Cliff Logsdon reported in a probable-cause affidavit that police were called to an apartment complex on South River Street when a neighbor reported that the alleged victim was screaming for help.
Logsdon reported that upon the officers' arrival, the woman was crying and Rodriguez-Ayala was hiding in a closet with the door open a few inches. Logsdon wrote that he and other Hailey officers approached the closet with revolvers drawn and Rodriguez-Ayala was subdued after an officer shocked him with a hand-held Taser instrument.
Logsdon wrote that .3 grams of methamphetamine and a dollar bill rolled up and used allegedly for inhaling the drug were found in the suspect's wallet when he was being booked into the jail.
According to court records, Rodriguez-Ayala has been deported at least twice since 2009 following misdemeanor convictions for battering women.
Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com
Adrian Rodriguez-Ayala
