On October 14, 2025, Faustino Ruiz pleaded guilty to 20 years in prison for Sexual Assault of a Child.
Ruiz was arrested in 2021 following a report that he had been sexually abusing a child over the course of several years. The investigation revealed that the abuse began when the child was just 9 years old and continued until the victim disclosed the abuse at age 16.
In January 2025, Ruiz was initially tried on multiple counts of sexual abuse. The jury returned a not guilty verdict on one charge and was unable to reach a decision on the remaining five, resulting in a mistrial. The case was subsequently placed back on the trial docket to be re-tried. After continued legal proceedings and discussions with defense counsel, Ruiz agreed to a 20-year prison sentence.
Because of the severity of the offense, Ruiz must serve at least half of the sentence—10 years—before becoming eligible for parole, and will be a registered sex offender for life.
The victim’s courage in coming forward will prevent Ruiz from hurting another child, and give her some form of justice. She will not have to relive the trauma again on the witness stand, and we hope this resolution brings her a measure of healing.
The District Attorney’s Office extends sincere gratitude to Sgt. Albert Garza of the Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office, Devyn Woodruff, forensic interviewer formerly with CAST, and Dr. Lora Spiller for their critical roles in the investigation and trial. A special thanks goes to my Atascosa County prosecutors, Erika Price and Audrey Vasquez, for never giving up on fighting for our victim, as well as the entire team at CAST for their unwavering support of the victim throughout the process.
