A former high school soccer coach from Columbia County, who had sex with a teen and took her on a cross-country trip, was released from prison Monday to begin eight years of probation.
Rian Rodriguez was 27 years old when he ran off with a 17-year-old in late November 2017. Rodriguez was a Fort White High School soccer coach and the girl was a player on the team.
After a nationwide manhunt, investigators caught up with Rodriguez and the teen in Syracuse, New York. Court records show the two admitted to having a sexual relationship.
Authorities said Rodriguez was planning to buy fake IDs so the two could leave the country.
Rodriguez eventually pleaded guilty to interfering with custody and sex with a minor and was sentenced to 18 months in prison last June. He was given credit for six months and seven days served and had originally been scheduled for release June 1, 2019.
The conditions of Rodriguez's probation, outlined in a 16-page document, include no contact with the victim, no illegal drugs, no alcohol to excess, no firearms, no pornography and a curfew of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. He must also submit to random drug testing and must maintain full-time employment or submit 20 job searches per month.
He has to stay about 1,000 feet away from schools, parks, playgrounds and other places where children are known to spend time -- that’s the distance of about three football fields or about 2/10 of a mile.
Now that Rodriguez is being released, he must also register as a sex offender.
His address must remain on file with the state, and his residence can be searched in the state's sex offender database, which also allows users to set up alerts for when offenders move into their neighborhood.
Rodriguez returned to Lake City and checked by Wednesday had checked in with his probation officer.