Following a joint investigation, Haines City Police and the Polk County Sheriff’s office arrested Julio Alfredo Ruiz, 42, of Haines City, on Thursday evening. The agencies accused him of forcing his way inside the back door of an 81-year-old woman’s home and then raping her in her bedroom.

  • Assault occurred on Sept. 29, according to an arrest affidavit
  • Ruiz has extensive, violent criminal history
  • Ruiz linked to crime via DNA left at scene

During an Oct. 6 news conference, Sheriff Grady Judd said around midnight on Sept. 29, the woman heard her dog barking, and when she walked to the back door she saw a man covered from head-to-toe in dark clothing and wearing a mask.

The man, who Judd believes to be Ruiz, broke three locks on the back door, grabbed the woman’s throat and then forced her to have sex.

“Then he made her get in the bathtub and wash,” said Sheriff Grady Judd. “He didn't think she washed well enough so he washed her again. He told her, 'Don’t make me hurt you real bad.' She said I was scared for my life. I thought I was going to die.”

The woman also told detectives her attacker demanded to know where she kept money and pills.

Judd said Ruiz lived within walking distance of the victim’s home. Her family told us she’s a widow who lives alone in that home, where she's lived for decades, but they planned on moving her out soon.

Judd went on to say workers with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement worked quickly, using semen found on the woman’s fitted bed sheet to link Ruiz to the crime.

“He absolutely wouldn’t talk to us, other than to say I had never, ever, ever, even been in the yard or been in the house," Judd said. "We go, 'Ok, we like that. Because you can’t explain why your DNA was in her bed.'”

Judd called Ruiz a vicious rapist whose been to prison at least once. Judd said he was out on bond when this incident happened.

“He’s a psychopath, he’s very dangerous," Judd said. "This guy started in California with a criminal record. In Pennsylvania with a criminal record. In Florida with a criminal record. Our goal is that it stops here, and he goes to prison for the rest of his life."

His previous arrests range from burglary, to cocaine possession, to sexual battery to car jacking. Judd said he’s been arrested on 39 previous felony charges, and 24 previous misdemeanor charges that date back to 1991.

He will make a first appearance in court Oct. 7 at 8 a.m.

We attempted to speak to someone at Ruiz's home, but no one answered the door.

“He, by the way, had a wife at home, and four children. His wife is pregnant with their fifth child,” Judd said.

Neighbor Glen Jordan said the neighborhood has been on edge ever since it happened.

“I’m glad they caught him,” said Jordan.

Judd said they’re unaware of any other victims. He ‘s asking investigators across Central Florida to re-examine their other sexual assault cases just to be sure.