Lake Como Man Gets 25 Years For Repeated Sexual Assault Of 7-Year-Old Girl

FREEHOLD, NJ – A Lake Como man who was sentenced Friday to 25 years in state prison for the repeated sexual assaults of a 7-year old girl will not be released until he is 82, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said.

Santiago Gonzalez-Ruiz, 59, of Freehold, was found guilty by a Monmouth County jury on April 13, 2017 of first degree aggravated sexual assault, second degree sexual assault and third degree endangering the welfare of a child. The conviction for endangering the welfare of a child was merged with the aggravated sexual assault conviction, Gramiccioni said.

Gonzalez-Ruiz was sentenced under the provisions of the Jessica Lunsford Act, which calls for anyone convicted of aggravated sexual assault to receive at least 25 years in state prison, with a minimum of 25 years of parole ineligibility, he said.

The convictions stem from repeated sexual assaults in Lake Como. The girl spent weekends at the defendant's 17 Avenue home being cared for by family members over a period of six months in the later part of 2014.

"It was during these weekends that defendant committed multiple acts of aggravated sexual assault and sexual assault upon her in the living room where defendant slept," Gramiccioni said.

The victim told her mother about the assaults in March 2015, when she was encouraged to visit the home again. The incidents were then reported to the police, he said.

An investigation was conducted by the Lake Como Police Department and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Special Victims Bureau. Gonzalez-Ruiz fled Lake Como and was ultimately located by the United States Marshals Service. He was arrested on April 13, 2015, in Glen Cove, NY and has been held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution since his arrest, Gramiccioni said.

He is also required to register pursuant to Megan’s Law and will be placed on Parole Supervision for Life upon his release from state prison.

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