Richard Ray Ramirez (Tulare County Sheriff’s Office)
A 49-year-old former law enforcement officer in California who was already on parole was arrested again over the weekend and now faces a possible life sentence for allegedly holding his girlfriend against her will and ruthlessly beating her.
Richard Ray Ramirez was taken into custody on Sunday and charged with one count of torture, one count of injury to a significant other after a prior conviction, and one count of kidnapping, authorities announced.
In the criminal complaint, prosecutors said Ramirez, a former sergeant with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, intended to “cause cruel and extreme pain and suffering for the purpose of revenge, extortion, persuasion” when he allegedly attacked the woman.
Officers with the Visalia Police Department at about 4 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 8 responded to a call regarding an adult female in need of medical assistance at an area located near McAuliff Street and Walnut Avenue, the Visalia Times Delta reported. The location is approximately 50 miles southeast of Fresno, California.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders reportedly encountered a 26-year-old female who told them that she had been kidnapped and assaulted by Ramirez, who was also on the scene when officers arrived.
In a copy of the probable cause affidavit obtained by Fresno ABC affiliate KFSN, police wrote that there were visible signs of physical abuse on the victim, whose nose was broken and “bent towards the right side of her face.” She also had bruising around her neck and suffered a broken wrist when she landed on asphalt after Ramirez allegedly threw her out of a truck.
Police took Ramirez into custody at the scene. While he was being detained, he said the officer who was handcuffing him, “Dude, nothing happened,” per KFSN. The victim reportedly told police that she and Ramirez had been dating for about four months prior to the violent incident and noted that he had been drinking alcohol and using some kind of controlled substance.
In a press release issued Tuesday, the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office emphasized the severity of the allegations against Ramirez and how his previous violent criminal convictions could affect his potential punishment.
“The charges are enhanced with special allegations that Ramirez possesses prior serious felony convictions, strikes, and served a prison term, that he was in a position of trust, that the crimes were committed while on parole, and that the crimes included the personal infliction of great bodily injury under circumstances of domestic violence,” the DA’s office said in the release.
The DA’s office also reiterated that during the alleged incident, Ramirez was on parole after being convicted in May 2021 for domestic violence. In that case, a Tulare County jury found Ramirez guilty of felony dissuading a witness, felony stalking, misdemeanor battery, misdemeanor corporal injury to a significant other, and violating a court order. Prosecutors said there were three victims in that case.
As a result of the 2021 conviction, Ramirez was sentenced to more than five years in prison, but was released after serving about two years due to “time served and other in-custody credits,” prosecutors said.
Ramirez appeared in court for his arraignment on Tuesday where he pleaded not guilty to all of the latest charges. He was ordered to remain in custody without bond until his preliminary hearing which is currently scheduled for Oct. 19.
He is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison.
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