A 66-year-old Mohnton man surrendered to Berks County detectives on Friday, a day after prosecutors charged him with three counts of luring a child into a motor vehicle following a string of reported incidents involving young girls in Reading and Shillington. Robert Ruhe is also facing one count each of stalking and harassment, accused of offering candy to get children inside his white SUV and motioning for a teenager to approach him on a public street.
Candy Offered to Sisters Taking Out the Trash
According to NBC Philadelphia, the incidents all allegedly happened on Oct. 14, with the first unfolding in Reading's Oakbrook neighborhood, where two sisters, ages 16 and 6, were taking out trash in the 1000 block of Patton Avenue. Police say the man in the white SUV offered the girls candy if they climbed inside the vehicle. The older sister told her younger sibling to stay away from the SUV and called their mother, who was nearby.
About 30 minutes later, per abc27, a 15-year-old girl reported a similar encounter near Pennsylvania Avenue and State Street in Shillington. The man allegedly stopped his white SUV in the middle of the roadway and motioned for her to approach. She refused, and he reportedly asked what she was doing, told her he had been watching her as she walked alone, then asked whether she wanted to make money before driving off. He is also accused of approaching the girl again near the 400 block of North Wyomissing Avenue, where she called her father during the second encounter.
Surveillance Footage Ties the Vehicle to Both Scenes
Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from residences in both areas and identified the vehicle by its license plate, per the same abc27 account, pinpointing a white Acura RDX with Pennsylvania registration that appeared to travel repeatedly near the reported incidents. The SUV was owned by Ruhe, and he later identified himself in the footage. He acknowledged driving the Acura through Reading and Shillington at the times of the incidents but denied speaking to any of the victims, according to the station's report.
Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams announced that Ruhe, with his attorney, surrendered to detectives on Friday — one day after Magisterial District Judge David L. Yoch issued the arrest warrant. He was taken to the Berks County Sheriff's Central Processing Center for fingerprinting and photographing and was awaiting a preliminary arraignment when the district attorney's office released its statement. The investigation remains ongoing.
Separate Delaware County Case Involves a 10-Year-Old on a Scooter
Pennsylvania State Police are separately investigating a possible child-luring incident involving a 10-year-old riding a scooter in Concord Township, Delaware County. As reported by 6abc, a man driving an older-model tan sedan allegedly told the child to come closer to his vehicle and asked about the scooter before a nearby resident confronted the driver, who left the area. A black sedan is also reported to have stopped briefly across the street from the same residence before fleeing, and initial surveillance suggested the child may have been followed by both vehicles earlier while riding.
The tan-sedan driver is described as a white man possibly 50 to 60 years old with gray hair. State police have not announced any arrests in the Delaware County investigation and have asked anyone with information or surveillance footage to contact the media barracks. Authorities have not established a connection between the Delaware County case and the Berks County charges against Ruhe, and neither investigation was reported to have occurred during trick-or-treating, even as both surfaced ahead of a Halloween season when children traditionally travel through neighborhoods collecting candy.
What Pennsylvania Law Says About Luring Charges
Under Pennsylvania statute, it is an offense to lure or attempt to lure a child into a motor vehicle or structure without the express or implied consent of a parent or guardian, unless circumstances reasonably indicate the child needs assistance, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The law defines a child as anyone under 18, and the offense becomes a second-degree felony if the child is under 13.
Berks County cases like this one aren't isolated statewide. In Adams County, 25-year-old Acxel Alvarez Orihuela was charged with luring a child into a motor vehicle, stalking and harassment after police said he tried to lure a 14-year-old girl into his vehicle, according to Local21News, and he was booked into Adams County Prison. Crime Alert Berks County, meanwhile, has offered cash rewards of up to $10,000 for tips leading to an arrest in local cases, per its own featured crimes listing; the organization accepts anonymous tips by phone at 877-373-9913 or by texting ALERTBERKS followed by the tip to 847411. Anyone with information on the Berks County case can also reach detectives directly at 610-478-7171.
