ITHACA, N.Y.—District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced the conviction of 34-four-year-old Tyler W. Rodkey of Dryden on first-degree assault charges last week.
Rodkey was sentenced to 15 years in state prison following his conviction of Assault in the First Degree, which is a Class B Felony. The court then imposed an additional five years of Post Release Supervision. Rodkey was initially arrested in the summer of 2020 and has been incarcerated since.
Rodkey admitted to “causing intentional physical harm with a deadly weapon” to his then girlfriend on July 25, 2020, in the early morning. Rodkey stabbed the victim 22 times with a kitchen knife and caused her to suffer life-threatening injuries. Tompkins County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a nearby house where the victim had collapsed after fleeing from Rodkey.
Law enforcement identified Rodkey as the perpetrator and took him into custody later that day following a stand-off.
A statement from the victim was read at the sentencing hearing and gave a description of how Rodkey’s assault had impacted her life and well-being. In her statement, she addressed the need for consequences and accountability for Rodkey’s assault to provide safety to the community.
Of the sentencing, Van Houten said, “this sentence marks the end of a very traumatic experience for the victim and her family. While a case of this seriousness always warrants careful consideration and diligent efforts to understand the underlying human elements of the case, the bottom line is always public safety. I believe that the sentence imposed in this case represents a necessary measure for the protection of our community and the young woman who was so brutally assaulted by the defendant.”