By Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Reviwe
A 38-year-old man arrested in November on drug charges by Wausau police has been indicted on federal drug distribution charges that appear connected to the same case.
Jonathan Rodriguez, of Wausau, was indicted March 13 by a federal grand jury in Madison on charges of possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The indictment alleges Rodriguez on Nov. 26 had the drugs and was intending to distribute them. That is the same date listed on felony charges filed one day later in Marathon County Circuit Court following a major methamphetamine arrest in Wausau.
Police arrested Rodriguez in November at a downtown Wausau business and seized more than 30 grams of methamphetamine with a street value of about $10,000, according to court documents.
In Marathon County, Rodriguez faces charges of possessing more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, possession of THC, possession of drug paraphernalia and bail jumping in connection with the Nov. 26 arrest. He was ordered held on a $5,000 cash bond.
Court records show Rodriguez was out on bond in two additional cases at the time of his arrest, both of which remain open. In August, he was charged with misdemeanor theft and in September, he was charged with misappropriating his identification information to avoid penalty, a felony. Rodriguez was released on a signature bond on Nov. 8, roughly two weeks before his arrest on major drug charges.
If he is convicted on the federal charge, Rodriquez faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.
The charge against Rodriquez was the result of an investigation conducted by the Wausau Police Department and the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis Glinzak is handling the case.
