Police officer sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping a woman

HOUSTON – A former Houston-area police officer has been sentenced to two decades in federal prison for raping a woman during a traffic stop in 2019.

Hector Aaron Ruiz, now 29, pleaded guilty earlier this year to obstruction of justice and civil rights violations.

Editor’s note: The videos attached to this article are from previous reports.

At the time of the crime, Ruiz was working as a police officer with the Arcola Police Department. Arcola is located about 25 miles south of downtown Houston.

“Ruiz was not just a predator, he was a badge-wearing predator,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. “During a traffic stop, he raped a young woman he was sworn to serve and protect, violently breaking a fundamental promise that law enforcement makes to every community.”

Ruiz was sentenced to 20 years in a federal prison. After his release, he will serve an additional five years of probation.

On November 16, 2019, Ruiz stopped a 23-year-old woman in the middle of the night. During the stop, he told the woman that she had to “convince” him not to take her to jail. He then took away her driver’s license and ordered her to follow him.

Investigators found that while following Ruiz, the woman texted a friend saying she thought she was going to die.

She tried to drive away, but Ruiz stopped her a second time and told her the same thing. He drove her to a residential area, forced her to drink alcohol, and forced her to have sex with him.

That same day, the woman came forward and identified Ruiz as her rapist.

“Hector Ruiz falsely believed his uniform and badge protected him, and he acted like a calculated offender who deliberately sexually assaulted his victim during a traffic stop,” said Douglas Williams, FBI Special Agent in Charge in Houston. “We thank the brave woman who courageously confronted Mr. Ruiz in court to ensure he was brought to justice for his crime against her. As law enforcement officers, we despise nothing more than those who dishonor their badge, break their oath to protect our community, and abuse the public’s trust.”

Investigators said Ruiz deactivated the recording devices on his body camera and his patrol unit during the crime.