Former Arcola police officer sentenced to 20 years after pleading guilty to rape

ARCOLA, Texas (KTRK) -- A former Arcola police officer, who pleaded guilty to raping a woman in 2019, was sentenced on Monday.

The incident happened during a traffic stop back in November 2019, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Hector Ruiz, now 29 years old, pulled the woman over in the middle of the night, then reportedly told her to convince him not to take her to jail.

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She tried to drive off, and he pulled her over again before forcing her to drink alcohol and raping her, court records say.

An investgation revealed that Ruiz had disabled his body microphone, as well as the active recording system in his police cruiser. Authorities said they also found a text message the victim sent to a friend while Ruiz was making her follow him.

Ruiz pleaded guilty earlier this year on Jan. 19. He has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by another five years on supervised release.

"Ruiz was not only a predator but a predator with a badge," U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said.

SEE ALSO: Woman says officer told her to follow him before sex assault