Air Force sergeant charged with child pornography
By Nick Hiltunen
Published in News on December 9, 2007 2:00 AM
Authorities have charged a member of the 4th Fighter Wing with 10 counts of a child pornography-related offense, Wayne County Sheriff Carey Winders said.
An investigation by Detective Sgt. Tammy Odom and the State Bureau of Investigation led to the arrest of Aldo Cesar Ruiz, 29, Twin Creek Road, according to authorities and an arrest report.
Senior Master Sgt. Michael Litsey confirmed that Ruiz was a member of the 4th Fighter Wing, but declined to give his rank or other information about his affiliation with Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.
Ruiz faces 10 counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and was jailed in lieu of $750,000 bond, his arrest report shows.
According to the arrest report, he is a native of Peru who is now a U.S. citizen, and has at least one relative who lives in the Bronx, N.Y.
Wayne County Sheriff's Capt. Tom Effler said more charges are a possibility as Ruiz's Internet activities are examined more closely.
"The investigation is still continuing," Effler said. "The S.B.I. investigated, and we assisted them and worked a joint investigation that led to his arrest."
Effler said exploitation charges are usually related to using a photograph or posting one with illegal content that involves a minor.
Initial investigation showed that Ruiz did not actually meet with a child, Effler said.
"He did not meet up with anybody that we know of," Effler said.
Winders said he feels sex-related crimes have been increasing all over the nation.
"We have seen this more, we have seen a rise of crimes of this nature for the last few years. You ask yourself why would a person ... what kind of person would want to watch children, or look at children," Winders said.
-- Staff writer Kenneth Fine contributed to this report.