Lorain man admits to hitting girlfriend then fleeing police in March

A Lorain man who fled from and escaped sheriff's deputies after assaulting his girlfriend in March has pleaded guilty to four felony charges. Luis Manuel Gonzalez-Rodriguez, 31, of Berkshire Boulevard, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Lorain County Common Pleas Court to one count each of failure to comply, violating a protection order, domestic violence and obstructing official business. Judge Melissa Kobasher accepted the plea, found Gonzalez-Rodriguez guilty and scheduled sentencing for Nov. 30. He faces a maximum sentence of 8 1/2 years in prison. Defense attorney John Toth said he had no additional comment on his client's guilty plea. The Lorain County Prosecutor's Office said Gonzalez-Rodriguez's girlfriend, who had a protection order against him, told authorities on March 28 that he punched her in the face and threw her out of a car in Lorain. Lorain County Sheriff's deputies later tried to pull him over as he drove his mother's Mazda SUV, but Gonzalez-Rodriguez refused to stop and ran stop signs in residential areas trying to get away. He escaped at the time. The domestic violence charge was a felony because Gonzalez-Rodriguez had a prior criminal record. He also had a warrant for his arrest in Florida for on a domestic battery charge. Six days later, on April 3, Gonzalez-Rodriguez was accused of taking his child from the child's mother at the Friendship Gas Station on Beechwood Drive near state Route 57 in Elyria. He didn't have legal custody, but took the woman's car and the child as she jumped on the hood trying to stop him. No one was injured, and the car, child and Gonzalez-Rodriguez all recovered safely the same day. A Common Pleas jury found Gonzalez-Rodriguez not guilty of kidnapping, felonious assault and robbery, all felonies, and misdemeanor theft after a two-day trial that ended Sept. 17. He was found guilty of a felony domestic violence chare and misdemeanor charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, child endangerment and interference with custody. Kobasher sentenced Gonzalez-Rodriguez to six months in jail and two years community control, formerly known as probation. Contact Dave O'Brien at 440-329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.