A man who is illegally in the United States was arrested at a hotel in Englewood, Florida, on charges of sexual battery.
On Sunday, February 25, shortly after 9:00 p.m., deputies responded to a call from a woman reporting that she had been raped. She went on to say that she and the suspect were talking, and she invited him to her room for a few drinks.
The victim claims that the suspect pushed her onto the bed and forced himself on her without using a contraceptive, deputies say.
The suspect fled the scene immediately. The victim told police that the suspect was wearing a yellow jacket.
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As the victim was being transported to a local hospital for treatment, deputies secured the scene and began their investigation, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO).
A review of security camera footage revealed the suspect, later identified as Santo Felix Cruz-Ramos, wearing the bright yellow jacket, speaking with the victim, and then following her back to her room. Cruz-Ramos is then seen running from the room toward a stairwell.
CCSO Deputies spoke with the hotel manager, who confirmed that Cruz-Ramos was a guest and provided the room number where he was staying.
The deputies approached Cruz-Ramos and two other men in the room.
Cruz-Ramos now wore a red hooded sweatshirt and stated that he had just gotten out of the shower.
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During questioning, the suspect denied ever speaking with the victim, following her to her room, or having intercourse with anyone.
When confronted with the video footage, Cruz-Ramos denied that the person in the video was him and claimed that he didn’t even own a yellow jacket. At this point, he also admitted to being in the United States illegally.
The two roommates both identified Cruz-Ramos as the person in the video and confirmed that he was the owner of the yellow jacket seen in it as well. Deputies did observe the jacket in the room.
“I don’t care where you’re from. If you come to Charlotte County and you commit a crime, especially one as heinous as this, you will face consequences for that action. I want to commend the victim for her courage to come forward with this. It is not an easy to thing to do, and because she did, we can make sure that he doesn’t do this to anyone else here,” said Sheriff Bill Prummell in a statement.
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Santo Felix Cruz-Ramos was placed under arrest and transported to the Charlotte County Jail. The clothing and personal effects seen in the video were collected as evidence, and a search warrant was granted for the collection of DNA samples from his person as well.
He is being held at the Jail without bond, and Border Patrol has been contacted regarding his status.
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