A Goodlettsville man is facing a stack of felony charges after police say he forced his way into a home, pointed a loaded handgun at a mother and her two-year-old daughter, and then hid the weapon before officers took him into custody. Osmar Alveralo Ruiz is accused of threatening the mother and toddler following what arrest records describe as an altercation at a home in the 100 block of Hardaway Drive on Sunday.
According to WKRN News 2, Goodlettsville police officers responded to the reported altercation and heard banging as they arrived, then saw Ruiz leaving the home. The resident told officers that Ruiz had forced his way inside, and police say he drew a loaded firearm on the mother and her two-year-old daughter, according to the Goodlettsville Police Department. Arrest documents indicate Ruiz did not live at the home, though he reportedly knew the victim and had sent her threatening text messages the day before, on Saturday.
Officers took Ruiz into custody and then searched the property, where they say they found a loaded Glock 47 handgun hidden near the area where he had been detained, according to arrest documents cited by the station.
Felony Charges Carry Years of Prison Exposure
Ruiz is facing aggravated burglary, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm under the influence, tampering with evidence, and public intoxication charges, the station's report notes. Under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-14-403, burglary of an occupied home is classified as aggravated burglary, a Class C felony carrying a statutory sentence of 3 to 15 years in prison and fines up to $10,000, according to the Oberman & Rice Law Firm.
Separately, Tennessee's aggravated assault statute treats the use or display of a deadly weapon as a serious felony carrying multi-year prison exposure and fines up to $15,000 regardless of whether anyone is physically injured, according to Justia Law. Ruiz also faces an evidence-tampering charge.
Public Intoxication Rounds Out the Charges
The public intoxication charge against Ruiz is a misdemeanor by comparison. Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-17-310 defines public intoxication as appearing in public under the influence of alcohol or drugs to a degree that creates endangerment or unreasonable annoyance, a Class C misdemeanor, according to FindLaw.
Because Goodlettsville straddles the line between Davidson and Sumner counties, where Ruiz's case ultimately lands in court depends on which side of that boundary Hardaway Drive falls on. State charges brought by Goodlettsville officers are routed to either Metro General Sessions Court in Nashville or Sumner County General Sessions Court in Gallatin, depending on the location of the incident, according to Patriot Law. Goodlettsville kept its own police department and municipal status even after Nashville's 1963 city-county consolidation, per the same source.
Resources Listed for the Victim
The Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County Office of Family Safety can be reached at 615-880-1100. The YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee, which operates the state's largest domestic violence shelter, also runs a 24-hour crisis hotline at 1-800-334-4628, according to the YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee.
