ARCOLA – A former Arcola police officer charged with sexual assault is now accused of civil rights violations.
Hector Aaron Ruiz is accused of pulling multiple women over for a traffic stop and coercing them into a sexual act. He was arrested in November 2019 and remains in jail in Richmond.
On Tuesday, attorneys representing his alleged victims filed a civil rights lawsuit to force change in the police department.
“I was very afraid for my life. I literally thought I was going to die that night,” said 25-year-old Raven Lillie, one of the alleged victims of officer Ruiz.
Lillie is a plaintiff in a federal civil rights lawsuit against Ruiz, former police chief Michael Ellison and the city of Arcola. The lawsuit alleges the city and police department, “endangered female citizens and detainees.”
“The city of Arcola has a police force that is running rampant,” said Randall Kallinen, the family’s attorney. “They have no discipline. They have no oversight.”
In 2019, then 23-year-old Lillie came forward to police about being assaulted by Ruiz when she said he pulled her over and coerced her into a sexual act.
The alleged sexual assault started in Brazoria County and ended in Fort Bend County, officials said in 2019.
The former officer faces second-degree felony sexual assault and official oppression charges.
Ruiz could face between two and 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for the second-degree felony sexual assault charge, and up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine for the class A misdemeanor official oppression charge.
Lillie says she can’t sleep and rarely drives out of fear of being pulled over. She now calls for significant department changes.
“I would like to see the Arcola Police Department reform and the city implement training and oversight. Mandatory use of body camera would be a bonus.”
Arcola mayor and police chief declined to comment.
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