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THIS HAPPENED OVER MULTIPLE OCCASIONS FOR MULTIPLE YEARS AND ALLEGEDLY, THERE’S OTHER ALLEGATIONS OUTSIDE THE STATE, AS WELL. QUANECIA: EMANUEL RODRIGUEZ FACES TWO COUNTS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT OF A CHILD. POLICE SAY THE ABUSE FIRST STARTED BACK IN 2017. ONE OF THE ALLEGED VICTIMS A -- ONE OF THE ALLEGED VICTIMS, A CHILD RODRIGUEZ WAS SUPPOSED TO BE CARING FOR. THE 44-YEAR-OLD APPEARED TO SHAKE HIS HEAD AS SOON AS THE JUDGE READ THOSE CHARGES. >> EACH OF THE CHARGES ARE SEXUAL ASSAULT OF A CHILD IN THE THIRD DEGREE. ANDREW -- QUANECIA: ACCORDING TO AN AFFIDAVIT, AN 11-YEAR-OLD VICTIM REPORTED THAT RODRIGUEZ HAD BEEN ASSAULTING HER SINCE SHE WAS NINE. IN A PROJECT HARMONY INTERVIEW, THE ALLEGED VICTIM SAID SOMETIMES RODRIGUEZ INAPPROPRIATELY TOUCHED HER, WHILE HER MOTHER WAS AT CHURCH MEETINGS. >> THE DEFENDANT WOULD DO THIS WHILE SITTING ON A COUCH UNDER A BLANKET AND WOULD WHISPER,"DOES THAT FEEL GOOD?" QUANECIA: ANOTHER ALLEGED VICTIM SAID SHE WAS ASSAULTED BY RODRIGUEZ IN MAY. SHE ALSO SAID HE INAPPROPRIATELY TOUCHED HER UNDER A BLANKET WHILE THEY WERE WATCHING A MOVI INVESTIGATORS SAY A CHILD IN T ROOM RECORDED VIDEO OF THEM AND TURNED IT OVER TO AN ADULT. >> WILL NOT LIVE WITH MY CLIENT, HE UNDERSTANDS THERE’D BE NO CONTACT WITH ANY MINOR CHILDREN IF HE’S ABLE TO MAKE BOND. QUANECIA: RODRIGUEZ COULD ALSO FACE CHARGES IN MINNESOTA. ACCORDING TO POLICE, A 16-YEAR-OLD SAYS IN 2017 HE ALSO ASSAULTED HER WHILE THEY WERE ON A TRIP RODRIGUEZ’S PRELIMINARY HEARING IN OMAHA IS SCHEDULED FOR SEPT

Advertisement Council Bluffs pastor accused of child sexual assault waives extradition to Omaha Emanuel Rodriguez, 44, was arrested in Minnesota on Saturday morning, days after court issued arrest warrant Share Shares Copy Link Copy

UPDATE: Emanuel Rodriguez returned to Douglas County to face a judge Friday morning. He is being charged with two counts of third degree sexual assault of a minor and could face up to six years in prison. The 44-year-old appeared to shake his head as soon as the judge read the charges.Police said the abuse first started back in 2017. One of the alleged victims is a child Rodriguez was supposed to be caring for.According to an affidavit, an 11-year-old victim reported that Rodriguez had been assaulting her since she was 9 years old.In a Project Harmony interview, the alleged victim said sometimes Rodriguez inappropriately touched her while her mother was at church meetings."The defendant would do this while sitting on a couch under a blanket and would whisper 'does that feel good'?" said a prosecutor at the Friday morning court hearing.Another alleged victim said Rodriguez assaulted her in May. She also said he inappropriately touched her on a blanket while they were watching a movie.Investigators say a child in the room recorded video of them and turned it over to an adult."The alleged victims do not live with my client," said a defense attorney. "He understands there would be no contact with any minor children if he's able to make bond."Rodriguez was arrested in Minnesota where prosecutors say more allegations stand against him. He is accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl while they were on a trip.That investigation is pending. Rodriguez is being held on a $500,000 bond. His next court date is Sept. 17 at 9 a.m. PREVIOUS STORY:A pastor based in Council Bluffs remains behind bars Monday, held without bail in the Carlton County, Minnesota jail.Officials in Minnesota confirmed Emanuel Rodriguez, 44, waived extradition, which means he will be back in Omaha soon to answer prosecutors' charges. There's still no timeline on when he will be extradited to Douglas County.Omaha police and Douglas County prosecutors believe Rodriguez sexually assaulted two little girls, and in one case, the alleged abuse dates back to 2016. A sworn affidavit shows the victims said Rodriguez would place his hands on them while they were under blankets. The victims also told investigators Rodriguez sexually assaulted them inside two of his former homes.Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said his office is waiting for Rodriguez to return."It's extremely disturbing that there are individuals who take advantage of the position that they're in, with a relationship or the trust they have with the parents or the child themselves, to allow them an opportunity to do these horrible things," Kleine said.Rodriguez's faces two counts of third degree sexual assault."The only difference between this type of assault and a first degree sexual assault, is the lack of penetration... it's as serious as they get when you're talking about taking advantage of children," Kleine said.Angela Roeber, director of communications for Project Harmony, said in 90 percent of cases, the alleged abuser is someone familiar to the child and their family."We like to also call them 'master manipulators' if you will, because they do tend to build that relationship with the child as well as the family to make them seem as if they are one of the trusted adults," Roeber said.Roeber also said no matter when the alleged abuse happened, it's up to the community to respond. "When accusations come forward, it does make it appear as it couldn't possibly happen, but what we have as a responsibility to the community, is to believe our children," she said.Roeber and Project Harmony reminded the community that in Nebraska, everyone is a mandatory reporter of child abuse. Parents, caregivers, educators and others can report an incident by calling 1-800-652-1999.PREVIOUS REPORT:Omaha police believe a church pastor based in Council Bluffs sexually assaulted two little girls.Emanuel Rodriguez, 44, is under arrest and in custody at a jail in Minnesota on Sunday night. The Omaha Police Department thinks Rodriguez's alleged crimes happened in its jurisdiction and in one case, date back to 2016.A sworn affidavit filed in Douglas County led to police issuing an arrest warrant for Rodriguez. He faces two counts of third-degree sexual assault of a child.According to court documents, Omaha police learned of the allegations last week. Two young girls and their mothers approached advocates at Project Harmony to report the alleged assaults.Investigators said the victims told them Rodriguez would place his hands on them while he and the child were under blankets. The victims also told investigators Rodriguez allegedly sexually assaulted them inside two of his former homes in Omaha.KETV Newswatch 7 confirmed Rodriguez is listed as a pastor at Calvary Assembly of God Church in Council Bluffs. We've contacted the church for comment and have not heard back.As for the reason why Rodriguez was in Minnesota, KETV Newswatch 7 learned he belongs to a Christian rock band that was scheduled to perform at a music festival near Duluth, Minnesota, on Saturday afternoon.Carlton County, Minnesota, jail records show Rodriguez was arrested Saturday morning on the warrant out of Douglas County, Nebraska.There's no word yet on when Rodriguez will be extradited back to Omaha. The affidavit also listed two adolescent girls who described similar encounters with Rodriguez. At this point, he is not facing charges for those allegations.