HOUSTON — A former Houston-area police officer was sentenced to two decades in federal prison for raping a woman during a traffic stop in 2019.
Hector Aaron Ruiz, now 29, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and civil rights violations earlier this year.
At the time of the crime, Ruiz was working as a police officer with the Arcola Police Department. Arcola is about 25 miles south of downtown Houston.
"Ruiz was not only a predator but a predator with a badge," U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said. "During a traffic stop, he raped a young woman he was sworn to serve and to protect, violently breaking a fundamental promise law enforcement makes with any community."
Ruiz was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. When he gets out, he will be on supervised release for five more years.
The crime
On Nov. 16, 2019, Ruiz pulled over a 23-year-old woman in the middle of the night. During the stop, he told the woman she had to "convince" him not to take her to jail. He then took her license and told her to follow him.
Investigators found out that the woman texted a friend while she was following Ruiz and said she thought she was going to die.
She tried to drive away, but Ruiz pulled her over a second time and told her the same thing. He drove her to a neighborhood, forced her to drink alcohol and made her have sex with him.
The same day, the woman came forward and identified Ruiz as her rapist.
"Hector Ruiz mistakenly believed he was protected by his uniform and badge and operated as a calculating predator who targeted and sexually assaulted his victim during a traffic stop," FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams said. "We thank the courageous woman who bravely confronted Mr. Ruiz in court to ensure he faced justice for his crime against her. As law enforcement officers, there’s nothing we despise more than those who disgrace the badge, betray the oath to protect our community and violate the public’s trust."
Investigators said Ruiz had disabled the recording devices on his bodycam and in his patrol unit while he committed the crime.