A man accused of battering an Idaho State Police trooper during an officer-involved shooting in Nez Perce County last year faces misdemeanor assault charges.
A federal indictment against Ricardo Rodriguez, 39, was unsealed in U.S. District Court, accusing him of striking, beating and wounding” trooper Jeffory Talbott on May 18, 2009.
Authorities say a car chase began with an attempted traffic stop for drunken driving and ended when Randall Ellenwood, 50, and Rodriguez got out of the vehicle and confronted Talbott just off Cottonwood Creek Road.
Police say Ellenwood and Rodriguez were “seriously physically battering” Talbott when Talbott fired his weapon at the men. Ellenwood died at the scene, while Rodriguez was seriously injured.
The FBI investigated the shooting because the chase began on the Nez Perce Reservation and Ellenwood and Rodriguez are tribal members.
In February, the U.S. Attorney’s office cleared Talbott of any wrongdoing in the shooting.
Rodriguez was indicted by a federal grand jury in May, but that charge remained sealed until Thursday, when a judge granted a U.S. Attorney’s Office request to unseal the case.
If convicted, Rodriguez faces up to six months in prison. He is being held at the Nez Perce County Jail.
