YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO – Dustin Ruiter, 50, was sentenced to 68 years behind bars after being found guilty of over 60 counts of sex crimes following a jury trial. Ruiter was given his sentence by Judge Anthony D’Apolito. In February, Ruiter was found guilty of 33 counts of rape, one count of Attempted Rape, and 33 counts of sexual battery.
Ruiter was still serving a nine-year prison sentence for charges of Gross Sexual Imposition, which were upheld by the 7th District Court of Appeals. He will now serve 68 years in prison, and this will run consecutively to the nine-year sentence that was upheld by the Appellate court. In total, Ruiter will serve 77 years behind bars. Upon completion of his sentence, he will be required to register as a tier III sex offender, the highest, most stringent registration, which requires him to register every 90 days for the remainder of his life.
Assistant Prosecutors Caitlyn Andrews and Kristie Weibling led the prosecution.
In 2019, Ruiter was arrested after an investigation revealed he had sexually assaulted several minors. A Mahoning County Grand Jury indicted him on 73 counts, including Rape, Attempted Rape, Gross Sexual Imposition, and Sexual Battery.
Mahoning County Prosecutor Lynn Maro would like to thank the hard work of the Youngstown Police Department and Assistant Prosecutors Andrews and Weibling for their efforts in securing the conviction.
