Rodriguez Arraigned in Hitching Post Fire Case - KGWN –Cheyenne, WY– Scottsbluff, NE News,Weather, Sports

Rodriguez Arraigned in Hitching Post Fire Case

The New Mexico man accused of setting fire to the Hitching Post Inn on September 15, 2010, was arraigned in U.S. District Court Monday.

44-year old Robert Rodriguez of Albuquerque is facing two felony charges.

Tuesday's arraignment was short and to the point. Rodriguez along with his attorney David Weiss stood before United States District Judge Nancy Freudenthal to enter their plea's for one count of arson and one count of aiding and abetting mail and wire fraud.

"Mr. Rodriguez entered a plea of not guilty. A trial date has been set for December 3 and we all anticipate that he is going to go to trial on December 3 because he is maintaining his innocence," Weiss said.

If convicted of committing both of these felonies in connection to the fire that destroyed Cheyenne's historic Hitching Post Inn two years ago, Rodriguez would face between 15 to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $500,000 and a three year period of supervision.

Defense attorney, David Weiss, doesn't believe this is a case that will drag out for very long.

"I don't think it should be a super long trial, it's fairly simple allegations," Weiss said.

United States attorney's Eric Heimann and Jim Anderson were not available for comment. There has been no bail posted in this case. During this time Rodriguez is being detained in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.