YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Seventh District Court of Appeals has upheld Dustin L. Ruiter’s convictions and 77-year prison sentence for sex offenses involving minors. The court unanimously rejected his appeal in a decision issued on Monday.
In February, a jury found Ruiter guilty of 33 counts of rape, one count of attempted rape, and 33 counts of sexual battery following a four-day retrial before Judge Anthony D’Apolito. Assistant Prosecutors Caitlyn Andrews and Kristie Weibling successfully prosecuted the case.
Judge D’Apolito sentenced Ruiter to 68 years in prison. The 68-year term runs consecutively with a nine-year sentence for gross sexual imposition convictions upheld on appeal. His combined sentence remains 77 years. Ruiter is also subject to lifetime registration as a Tier III sex offender.
Following Ruiter’s original trial, he filed an appeal for a retrial due to the inability to obtain a DNA expert. Seventh District Court of Appeals ruled in Ruiter’s favor. This ruling allowed a retrial on rape, attempted rape, and sexual battery charges. The gross sexual imposition convictions remained in place.
In his latest appeal, Ruiter challenged whether the prosecution sufficiently distinguished the acts supporting each charge and whether the evidence supported the guilty verdicts. The appeals court rejected both arguments, finding that the victim’s detailed testimony and corroborating evidence supported the convictions.
Mahoning County Prosecutor Lynn Maro thanked the Youngstown Police Department and Assistant Prosecutors Andrews and Weibling for their work in securing and defending these convictions.
