Suspended prison sentence for Mason City man guilty of sexual abuse

MASON CITY — A Mason City man who pleaded guilty to a sexual abuse charge has been given a suspended prison sentence. 

34-year-old Ruben Ramirez was accused by authorities of committing a sexual act with a 15-year-old girl sometime in February and March of last year at his residence in the 500 block of North Adams. Police say that Ramirez was aware of the girl’s age at the time.

Ramirez was charged in May but he failed to appear for a court hearing in June, with a nationwide warrant being issued for his arrest. He was located in the Dakota County Jail in Nebraska and was brought back to Iowa where he originally pleaded not guilty to one count of third-degree sexual abuse. Ramirez then entered a guilty plea to the charge in November.

District Judge Colleen Weiland sentenced Ramirez to a ten-year prison term, which was suspended, and placed him on five years probation. He must also register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.