Tulare County Man Convicted on 13 Counts Related to Child Sexual Abuse, Faces 150+ Years
Above: Natharan Giovanni Ruiz | Tulare County District Attorney’s Office
VISALIA — A Tulare County man was recently found guilty on over ten counts related to the sexual abuse of multiple child victims between 2011 and 2017.
According to a recent press release by the District Attorney’s Office, 30-year-old Natharan Giovanni Ruiz, of Porterville, was convicted Tulare County Superior Court of child molestation against four separate victims, all of whom were female.
Specifically, Ruiz was found guilty on one count of oral copulation with a minor under the age of ten, eleven counts of lewd act upon a child under the age of fourteen, and one count of contacting a minor. Each count is a felony, and twelve of them are considered strike offenses, the District Attorney’s Office said.
The conviction also reportedly included a special allegation for “substantial sexual conduct,” as well as Ruiz having committed crimes against multiple victims.
Six of the crimes reportedly occurred against the same victim over the course of five years, from 2012 to 2017, when the victim was ages nine to thirteen.
Another two occurred against a second victim, age 10 at the time, between 2011 and 2012. Another two counts involved yet another victim whom Ruiz reportedly abused from 2011 to 2015, beginning when the victim was nine.
Another three were reportedly committed over the course of approximately one month, from November to December 2015, against a fourth victim who was nine years old at the time.
The crimes occurred in the areas of Porterville and Lindsay, the District Attorney’s Office said.
For his crimes, Ruiz faces 154 years to life in state prison and will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Sentencing is reportedly scheduled for May 3 of this year.
The case was investigated by the Porterville Police Department and prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Chelsea Wayt.
