A Yonkers church sexton accused of sexually abusing a pre-teen girl over several years was alleged to have recorded the victim during at least two incidents. Rolando Ruiz, 39, was indicted on felony charges.
Prosecutors allege Ruiz recorded the victim on his cellphone during at least two incidents.
The alleged abuse began in 2020 and continued over several years, according to prosecutors.
Shifting Answers Under Questioning
Ruiz was interviewed about the allegations.
Detectives stopped questioning Ruiz once he requested a lawyer, ending the recorded interview that was later shown to the jury.
Charges Filed
Ruiz is accused of sexually abusing the girl multiple times over five years, and he faces charges of predatory sexual assault of a child, first-degree course of sexual conduct against a child, use of a child in a sexual performance, and possession of an obscene sexual performance by a child.
The Westchester County District Attorney's office said last year that Ruiz, described in that release as a sexton at Community Baptist Church in Yonkers, was indicted on felony charges tied to the alleged rape and repeated sexual abuse of a child under 13. District Attorney Susan Cacace said at the time that “these are among the more disturbing allegations I have encountered during my tenure.” Over the course of several years beginning in 2020, prosecutors allege, Ruiz raped and repeatedly sexually abused the victim and recorded her on his cellphone during at least two of those incidents, according to Yonkers Times.
Accounts of Ruiz's employment at the church have varied: while the District Attorney's office described him as a sexton, Yonkers Times reported he was a part-time cleaner there only briefly in 2025 and was let go for poor performance unrelated to the allegations.
Arraignment Before Judge Prisco
Ruiz was arraigned before Westchester County Court Judge Robert Prisco and remanded to the Westchester County Jail on $50,000 bail following his indictment, Yonkers Times reported.
The charges against Ruiz remain accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
