Lisandro Rodriguez transcends labels.
Some might call the Frankford resident a drug dealer, but that moniker would overlook the many home burglaries that he committed in 2012 and ’13. It also would discount his habit of ducking court hearings, leading police on high-speed car chases and running down innocent motorists and pedestrians.
In light of Rodriguez’ criminal body of work, Common Pleas Court Judge Joan Brown sentenced him on Jan. 7 to serve 20 to 40 years in state prison.
“This is someone who time and again has disregarded the safety of anyone to further his criminal activities,” Assistant District Attorney Tracie Gaydos told the Northeast Times. “He had no regard for human life or property.”
Rodriguez, 24, of the 1100 block of Bridge St., already had several adult arrests under his belt — including two for drug-related charges — when he encountered police on April 3, 2012. Officers from the 15th district went to a home on the 5100 block of Roosevelt Blvd. after someone reported a burglary in progress. The cops spotted Rodriguez fleeing from a second-story window of the property and arrested him.
Judge Brown later convicted him of the break-in. Rodriguez posted bail and was freed pending sentencing. When the defendant failed to show up in court on May 13, 2012, Brown issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
Seventeen days later, Rodriguez was a passenger in a car that police stopped for a traffic violation at Grant and Bustleton avenues. Rodriguez fought one cop, got behind the wheel of the car and sped down Welsh Road, striking three other cars. He hit a fire hydrant at Old Bustleton Avenue and Welsh Road, ditched the car and tried to hide behind a nearby funeral home. Police caught him there.
Inside the car, officers found two loaded guns that had been reported stolen, along with large amounts of crack cocaine and marijuana. Police traced one of the guns to a burglary that had occurred on March 30, 2012, on the 7800 block of Anita Drive in Rhawnhurst. Rodriguez’ fingerprints matched those recovered from the scene at Anita Drive.
During a subsequent search of Rodriguez’ home, detectives found two more loaded guns, one of which had been reported stolen. The investigators also found a large amount of drugs.
Rodriguez had four separate court cases pending, but months later, a judge freed the defendant under the state’s speedy trial requirements. By law, a defendant must be brought to trial within 180 days, not counting schedule extensions requested by the defense.
Rodriguez was still at large and had illegally removed his monitoring device on Dec. 21, 2013, when police tried to stop his car near Second and Cambria streets. Rodriguez flashed “the peace sign” to the officers and sped onto Lehigh Avenue. Rodriguez ran a red light and struck a car at B and Lehigh, injuring a mother and her 11-year-old child. Rodriguez then rammed another car outside of Visitation BVM Church, injuring a husband and wife.
In a chain-reaction crash, the couple’s car struck a pregnant woman who was unloading Christmas gifts for delivery to the church. The expectant mother was hospitalized and suffered a miscarriage.
While attempting to flee, Rodriguez discarded drugs. Police caught up to him and used a Taser to subdue him.
Rodriguez pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for each of the five victims involved in the Dec. 21 episode — not including the unborn child. Brown sentenced him to serve four to eight years in prison consecutively for each count. Rodriguez also pleaded guilty to multiple counts of burglary, drug dealing and weapons violations and was sentenced to serve concurrent prison time.
He has a trial pending in Montgomery County on unrelated charges, Gaydos said. On Oct. 16, 2013, Rodriguez allegedly followed two North Philadelphia shop owners home to Whitpain Township, where he invaded their home, assaulted and robbed them. ••
