A man accused of the continuous sexual abuse of a 13-year-old Bowie County girl entered a not guilty plea this week in Bowie County.
Porfirio Ruiz Jr., 21, is being held in the Bowie County jail with bail set at $1 million. He was arrested last October by border patrol officers as he allegedly tried to cross from Texas into Mexico.
Ruiz is related to the girl and was living in her family’s home in Texarkana, Texas, when he allegedly abused her sexually multiple times over a six-month period beginning in April 2020.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Ruiz set up social media accounts and passwords for the girl so he could communicate with her privately without her parents’ knowledge.
Continuous sexual abuse of a child is punishable by 25 to 99 years or life in prison. Individuals convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child are not eligible for parole and must serve their entire sentence before they can be released from prison. Sex offender registration is required for anyone convicted of the crime.
Ruiz is scheduled to appear March 15 before 202nd District Judge John Tidwell. He is represented by the Bowie County Public Defenders Office.
