Asheville police search for 'one-legged' man charged in child sexual assault cold case

Ryley Ober, Asheville Citizen Times
·2 min read

ASHEVILLE - City police are searching for a local one-legged man who was recently charged with three felonies in a 2016 sexual assault cold case involving three minors, officials said Dec. 11.

Asheville Police Department detectives charged Juan Jose Bernal-Ramirez, 62, of Asheville, with first-degree statutory sex offense and two counts of indecent liberties with a minor, according to a news release from the department. All three charges equate to felonies under Chapter 14 of North Carolina General Statutes.

The case was first reported to police in 2016, but "went cold," the release said. New evidence "came to light earlier this year" leading to charges against Bernal-Ramirez, APD spokesperson Samantha Booth told the Citizen Times Dec. 11.

Detectives with the Family Justice Center led the investigation and filed charges in consultation with Buncombe County District Attorney Todd Williams' office.

ADVERTISEMENT

Police described Bernal-Ramirez, who has not been arrested, as "a one-legged man who appears to walk normally with the use of a prosthesis" and as "a Hispanic male, 5’5”, 220 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes, and a distinctive scar on his right forearm."

"He is believed to still be in the Asheville area, with a possible sighting earlier this year in West Asheville," Booth said.

Bernal-Ramirez's charge of first-degree statutory sex offense, under state law, refers to engaging in "a sexual act" with a victim under the age of 13. The person charged must be at least 12 years old and four or more years older than the victim.

There are three victims in the case, according to Booth. Police do not "have information at this time to indicate" Bernal-Ramirez poses a threat to public safety, she said.

"The Asheville Police Department commends the brave survivor who came forward, enabling investigators to revisit and ultimately resolve this case," the release said.

ADVERTISEMENT

Police encourage anyone with information on Bernal-Ramirez's whereabouts to contact APD at (828) 252-1110. Anonymous tips can be submitted by using the TIP2APD smartphone application (search "Asheville PD" in the app store) or by texting TIP2APD to 847411.

"The Asheville Police Department works in partnership with the Buncombe County Family Justice Center to support victims of sexual offenses," the release said.

"We encourage anyone who may have been a victim or has information related to a similar incident to contact The Buncombe County Family Justice Center at (828) 250-6900."

This story will be updated.

More: Former Biltmore Forest Police Dept. Lt. sentenced for child sex crime in South Carolina

More: Asheville School settles child sexual abuse lawsuits filed by former students

Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. She is a graduate of Indiana University and was the Citizen Times Summer News Reporting Intern in 2022. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Police search for Asheville man charged in sexual assault cold case