Man Faces 10 Years Over Threat To Drill Out Partner's Kneecaps

Kadin Carlton Rodriguez faces a potential ten year prison sentence after prosecutors allege he threatened to drill out his former business partner's kneecaps. The 21-year-old man from Colorado Springs is now facing a felony blackmail charge in Albany County. Investigators say a financial disagreement over a business buyout escalated into a series of aggressive text messages.

The dispute centered on the dissolution of three companies: Management Capital LLC, True West Vending LLC, and True West Auto Sales. A sworn affidavit filed by Albany County Sheriff's Deputy Adam Sheets states that Rodriguez claimed he was owed a 10 percent buyout. Court records show the conversation shifted from financial demands to threats of physical violence.

In one message dated Nov. 1, Rodriguez wrote, "I warned you." He later referenced thermite, a mixture that reaches temperatures high enough to melt steel, writing that it is "very unforgiving." Another message warned, "Well see who touches who first." Investigators also documented sexually degrading messages sent to the former partner.

Rodriguez allegedly contacted the man's wife with three separate messages demanding payment within 10 days. He described the demand as his final attempt to collect the buyout, warning that failure to cooperate would result in "irreversible repercussions." He referenced the man's heart condition, noting he would hate to see him spend life with a bare metal stent in his heart. Rodriguez wrote that he was aware of how poorly the man handles stress and how it affects his heart.

Five days later, the threats became more graphic. Rodriguez messaged the wife again, calling her husband "your little bitch" and asking when he would be ready to pay. He then wrote, "He's got til wednesday or your gonna watch his knee caps get drilled out." The affidavit does not state if Rodriguez traveled to Wyoming to confront the couple or if he received any money.

Investigators traced the messages to a phone number with a Colorado Springs area code. Sheets noted that Rodriguez renewed his Colorado driver's license less than two weeks before the first documented threats, listing a residential address in Arvada. Wyoming law defines blackmail as threatening bodily injury or property damage to obtain something belonging to another person. The charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

The charge was filed on Nov. 10 in Albany County Circuit Court. Judge Robert Sanford set a $25,000 cash bond for Rodriguez. Prosecutor Ty J. Peterson is handling the case. Rodriguez is expected to appear in court for a preliminary hearing next, unless he waives his right to one. At that hearing, a judge will decide if there is enough evidence to establish probable cause.