A retired prison guard who fired eight times into his wife’s vehicle while she was in it must remain in the Cochise County jail pending trial unless he posts a $350,000 bond, a judge reaffirmed last week.
Rodrigo Salcido was arrested at his home in Douglas after a standoff which started with multiple “shots fired” calls shortly after 9:30 p.m. on April 5. Douglas PD officers arrived on the scene to find Salcido had shot up the vehicle as his wife was trying to back out of the driveway.
The wife and her passenger were not injured, but it would take several hours before Salcido was taken into custody with the help of a specially trained negotiator, a Taser, and a shotgun outfitted with less-than-lethal beanbag rounds.
Salcido, 54, was taken to a local hospital before being booked into the Cochise County jail around 6 a.m. the next morning. His bail was set at $350,000 during an initial court appearance later that day and a county grand jury went on to indict Salcido on 18 felonies including attempted second degree murder, aggravated assault, and disorderly conduct.
Defense attorney Ahmed Islam filed a motion on May 24 to modify the conditions of pretrial release in hopes Salcido, a former employee of the Arizona Department of Corrections, could be released on his personal recognizance with GPS monitoring while his case is adjudicated.
The motion, which included a handwritten letter from the wife agreeing to the change, argued Salcido did not pose a threat to the victim and was not a flight risk. It also noted Salcido’s health “is deteriorating” in jail.
“Mr. Salcido does not pose a danger to the community. He has no felony or violent background with his only other conviction being a non-violent [DUI] misdemeanor from nine years ago. The victim has indicated she wants Mr. Salcido released while the case is pending and does not fear of being harmed whatsoever by Mr. Salcido.”
Judge Laura Cardinal, however, was not as assured. She denied the motion to modify and was not interested in considering a reduction of the bond amount.
Cardinal also admonished Salcido against engaging in efforts to contact either of the victims, directly or through third parties.
The judge has scheduled Salcido’s next court date for July 25 at which time a trial date could be announced. The current speedy trial deadline is Sept. 22 unless Salcido agrees to a waiver.
Under court rules, Salcido may not file another motion to modify his release conditions unless he can allege the existence of material facts not previously presented to the court.
