Man gets 18 months in prison for attacking another man with machete in Maine gravel pit

The Chelsea man accused of attacking another man with a machete at an Augusta gravel pit will serve 18 months in prison.

Elias Rodriguez, 25, was sentenced Thursday at the Capital Judicial Center in Augusta to six years in prison with all but 18 months suspended, as well as two years of probation, according to the Kennebec Journal .

If he violates his probation, Rodriguez could serve the remainder of that suspended sentence, the Journal reported.

Rodriguez and a 19-year-old got into a fight at an Augusta Taco Bell on Jan. 26, and the pair arranged to meet and fight at a gravel pit off West River Road.

The 19-year-old and a 22-year-old man met at that gravel pit about 6 p.m. on Feb. 10, and when Rodriguez arrived, the 22-year-old fled but slipped on ice and fell into the snow. Rodriguez allegedly ran toward him and swung an 18-inch rusty machete at the victim.

The 22-year-old told police he blocked the first swing with his arm, and if he hadn’t, Rodriguez would have struck him in the head.

Rodriguez allegedly tried to hit him several more times, missing. The man then kicked Rodriguez in the chest and managed to get away.

Emergency room staff later told police that the man’s blood pressure fell so low because of the machete wound that he could have died.

Rodriguez was charged with elevated aggravated assault and aggravated assault. He was indicted in April.

He continues to dispute the narrative from prosecutors, but his attorney, Verne Paradie Jr., told the Journal that his client believed a jury would find him guilty. So he pleaded guilty rather than face trial, according to the Journal.