Edgar Ruelas sentenced to life in prison for serial sexual assaults in Ventura County Wednesday

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – On Thursday, Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that Edgar Rodriguez Ruelas was sentenced Wednesday to 32 years to life plus an additional 21 years, the maximum available under the law, for a series of sexual assaults between June 2017 and March 2020.

Ruelas was convicted by a jury on May 2, 2024, of five felony counts of assaults on women in the Thousand Oaks and Oak Park area.

"Thanks to the five brave women who faced Ruelas in court, he will hopefully never be free to
attack again," said Senior Deputy District Attorney Brent Nibecker, who prosecuted the case. "While we cannot replace the sense of security he took, I hope this life sentence delivers the justice they so richly deserve."

Specifically, Ruelas was sentenced on the following violations of the penal code:

• PC 220(a)(2)-Assault with Intent to Commit a Forcible Sex Crime on a Person Under 18
• PC 220 (Two Counts)-Assault with Intent to Commit a Forcible Sex Crime
• PC 289(a)(1)-Forcible Sexual Penetration by a Foreign Object
• PC 220(b)-Assault with Intent to Commit a Forcible Sex Crime During a Residential Burglary

Ruelas was also convicted and sentenced on the following special allegations:

• PC 667.61(d)(4)-Commit Offense During a Residential Burglary with Intent to Commit a Forcible Sex Crime
• CRC 4.421(a)(3)-Victim was Vulnerable
• CRC 4.421(a)(8)-The Manner in which the Crime was Carried Out Indicates Planning, Sophistication, or Professionalism
• CRC 4.421(b)(1)-Defendant has Engaged in Violent Conduct