CANYON CITY — A John Day man was convicted in Grant County Circuit Court on Thursday, Jan. 12, of committing sex crimes against a child.

Philip Joseph Rodriguez, 41, was found guilty of first-degree rape and first-degree sexual abuse, both Measure 11 offenses.

He was found not guilty of first-degree sodomy, and a charge of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration was dismissed early in the trial.

The crimes were committed between late January and early April of 2019, and the victim was a girl under the age of 12 who was known to Rodriguez.

The 12-person jury deliberated for a little over three hours before returning the verdict on Thursday afternoon, the ninth day of the trial.

Rodriguez was taken into custody and lodged at the Grant County Jail to await sentencing.

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a later date.

Under Measure 11, both the rape and sodomy convictions carry presumptive mandatory minimum sentences of eight years and four months in prison. Because of the victim’s age at the time of the offenses, the judge could choose to impose mandatory minimums of 25 years under a statute known as Jessica’s Law.

Malheur County Circuit Judge Lung S. Hung presided over the case.

Prosecuting attorneys Tobias Tingleaf of the Oregon Department of Justice and Riccola Voigt of the Grant County District Attorney’s Office represented the state.

Rodriguez was represented by Kathleen Erin Dunn of Strawberry Mountain Law.