Man allegedly attacked woman during therapy session

SAN ANTONIO – A man is in custody accused of allegedly aggravating the sexual abuse of a woman while she was being administered ketamine to treat depression and anxiety, according to an arrest warrant.

According to officials, 60-year-old Edward Jose Ramirez was arrested for targeting the 37-year-old female victim during a ketamine therapy appointment at the Epicc Wellness Ketamine Treatment Clinic in the far northwest part of the city.

According to the arrest warrant, the victim said Ramirez called her in May and asked if she could show up the day before the scheduled appointment. She claims her brother dropped her off at the clinic, where the session was expected to last nearly three hours.

When Ramirez arrived, the victim said she realized there would be no assistant in the room, as there had been in previous sessions. She said she decided to proceed anyway “because she felt safe during previous appointments.”

She claims she was given ketamine and “was not completely unconscious, but she was unable to speak or move.” At some point after the treatment began, records say, the victim told authorities Ramirez began taking advantage of her by rubbing at her clothing.

She recalled the attack as she repeatedly lost consciousness and told authorities she “started to feel helpless.”

“She was also upset because she considered this place a safe place due to her anxiety and depression,” the arrest warrant states.

Eventually, the victim told police, she woke up to a phone call from Ramirez. After the call, she claims, he “walked over to the victim, lifted her off the chair and pulled up her pants. Then he told her to keep it between them.”

According to the arrest document, the woman was then released to her brother and taken to a local hospital where an examination was conducted by a sexual assault nurse (SANE) and the suspect’s DNA was obtained with a search warrant. Ramirez denied the allegations against him when questioned by police.

According to deputies, he claimed that he and the victim had a consensual sexual relationship, which the woman said was false.

Ramirez was arrested earlier this month and is now charged with aggravated sexual assault. If convicted, he faces up to 99 years in prison.