Man convicted of attacking women in their homes and on hiking trails

A Ventura County judge sentenced a 42-year-old man to spend the rest of his life in prison after a jury found him guilty of several brutal attacks on hiking trails and homes scattered throughout Thousand Oaks and Oak Park.

Convicted felon Edgar Rodriguez Ruelas will serve the maximum sentence of at least 32 years to life, plus an additional 21 years in state prison.

In May, a jury found him guilty of five counts related to a series of attacks between June 2017 and March 2020:

• One count of assault with intent to commit a forcible sex crime on a person under 18 years of age
• Two counts of assault with intent to commit a forcible sex crime
• A county of forced sexual penetration by a foreign object
• Assault with intent to commit forcible sex crime during residential burglary

The jury also agreed with the Ventura County prosecutor to add four special allegations to the charges:

• Committing an offense during a residential burglary with intent to commit a forcible sexual crime
• The victim was vulnerable
• The manner in which the crime was committed indicates planning, sophistication, or professionalism
• The defendant engaged in violent behavior

Prosecutors said two of the attacks took place at the victims' homes after Ruelas walked through unlocked or open doors while they were sleeping.

The other three assaults took place on hiking trails in Thousand Oaks and Oak Park. In one case, Ruelas jumped out of a bush and attacked a 16-year-old girl.

Detectives found Ruelas after a security camera captured Ruelas' license plate leaving Oak Park about 23 minutes after the 16-year-old's attack.