Man sentenced 53 years to life in prison for sexually assaulting hikers, sleeping women in Ventura County
A man convicted for sexually assaulting hikers and sleeping women in Ventura County on five occasions has been sentenced 53 years to life in prison.
Edgar Rodriguez Ruelas, 42, was sentenced on Wednesday after being convicted by a jury on five felony counts on May 2.
“Thanks to the five brave women who faced Ruelas in court, he will hopefully never be free to attack again,” said Ventura County Senior Deputy District Attorney Brent Nibecker. “While we cannot replace the sense of security he took, I hope this life sentence delivers the justice they so richly deserve.”
Ruelas brutally assaulted five women between June 2017 and March 2020 in their homes and on hiking trails in Thousand Oaks and Oak Park, prosecuters say.
The first offense occurred June 15, 2017, when Ruelas entered an apartment through an unlocked door in Thousand Oaks. He then approached a 25-year-old woman in her bedroom and attempted to force her onto her bed.
The woman screamed for her roommate and after a brief struggle, Ruelas fled the scene.
Less than one month later, on July 14, Ruelas stalked a woman hiking alone at about 5:45 a.m. in Wildwood Regional Park in Thousand Oaks. Wearing all black and a face covering, he jumped out of bushes and forced the woman to the ground.
The woman told him she’d already called police and her husband, and he fled the scene. Security footage captured Ruelas speeding off in a vehicle that was later spotted at his Woodland Hills apartment complex.
On October 25 of that same year, Ruelas broke into another Thousand Oaks apartment through an open door and approached a woman in a bed. He put his hand over her mouth, which woke her up, and sexually assaulted her with his other hand.
When she was able, the woman yelled out for her boyfriend, who was also in the apartment. Ruelas then fled, but was chased by the boyfriend. The two eventually entered a struggle, but Ruelas broke free and left the area.
The fourth assault happened on April 12, 2019, when Ruelas once again hid in bushes wearing all black and a ski mask near a hiking trail in Oak Park. At about 5:40 p.m., he tackled a woman and grabbed at her clothes.
When the woman told Ruelas that others knew her location, he fled the scene. She later approached a dogwalker, who called police.
The final attack, on March 5, 2020, was also near a hiking trail in Oak Park. The victim, a 16-year-old girl who was near her home, was tackled to the ground but was able to break free after hitting Ruelas with a ukulele she happened to be carrying.
She then ran to a neighbor, who called 911. Responding deputies with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office discovered surveillance video that showed the car owned by Ruelas pull up to the parking lot. Just 23 minutes later, the video showed a man running back to the car and speeding off.
Authorities then successfully identified the car’s license plate, which eventually led to Ruelas’ arrest.
DNA testing later linked him to evidence connected with the crimes.
After a trial, Ruelas was found guilty of:
Assault with intent to commit a forcible sex crime on a person under 18
Two counts of assault with intent to commit a forcible sex crime on adults
Assault with intent to commit a forcible sex crime during a residential burglary
Forcible sexual penetration by a foreign object
On Wednesday he was sentenced to 32 years to life in prison, as well as an additional 21 years in state prison.
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