Cambria man accused of stabbing pregnant girlfriend faces new charges

A Cambria man accused of stabbing his pregnant girlfriend in July had stabbed the woman on “many prior occasions,” according to a motion filed last week by the District Attorney’s Office.

Brian Michael Rodriguez, 25, had already been charged with 10 felonies, including attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, after he was arrested in July. Now the prosecution will add 17 more counts, including torture and mayhem, stemming from new allegations.

Rodriguez has pleaded not guilty.

Rodriguez was initially charged in July with stabbing his girlfriend several times while several children were allegedly in the residence. Since his arrest in that case, the alleged victim described more violent incidents. Because those offenses allegedly occurred in Santa Barbara County, Deputy District Attorney Greg Devitt wrote in a motion, prosecutors here had to acquire permission from the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office to include the charges in the local attempted murder case.

Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Ginger Garrett said Devitt could include the additional charges in her court. A preliminary hearing previously scheduled for Wednesday was then postponed until Oct. 1.

This story was originally published September 10, 2014 at 4:15 PM with the headline "Cambria man accused of stabbing pregnant girlfriend faces new charges."