On Feb. 3, 2018, officers from the King City Police Department responded to an address on Pearl Street due to a reported sexual assault of a juvenile female. Upon arrival, an investigation into the sexual assault was initiated into this crime. At the time of the initial investigation the suspect’s identity was unknown, but a description of the suspect was developed.
As time progressed, members of the Major Crimes Unit (MCU), a collaborative investigative unit created by the King City and Greenfield Police Departments, continued to evaluate and investigate the case in an attempt to identify the suspect. Earlier this year information was developed, leading MCU personnel to suspect Leonardo Ramirez, a male resident of King City, as a person of interest of the crimes in question.
MCU personnel arranged to meet with Leonardo Ramirez to discuss an unrelated matter at the King City Police Department. When Ramirez arrived he was offered a disposable mask to comply with the ongoing Monterey Public Health Order. Upon receiving the mask, Ramirez discarded a mask he had been wearing, which MCU staff collected at the conclusion of the interview. The mask was then submitted to the California Department of Justice for DNA analysis. The Department of Justice confirmed a DNA sample obtained from the mask was a match to a DNA sample collected at the time of the initial investigation. On May 31, MCU personnel located Ramirez in King City and arrested him for the listed charges. Ramirez was booked into the Monterey county jail.
Anyone with further information regarding this case is encouraged to call the King City Police Department at (831) 386-5980; Detective Sergeant John Dow at (831) 386-5969 or the WeTip line at 1-800-78-CRIME. Your call may remain completely anonymous.
Republished courtesy of King City Police Department.