Registered sex offender charged with soliciting minor after sting operation

A San Jose man arrested in February in connection with soliciting a minor has been charged with multiple felonies, police said.

Ruben Ramos, 49, has been charged with contacting a minor with the intent to commit a sex crime, sending harmful matter to a minor with sexual intent and arranging a sexual meeting with a minor, according to the Fremont Police Department.

On February 18, officers were dispatched to a report of a suspicious circumstance in the Centerville area of Fremont.

Police said a man had attempted to contact a female teenager as she walked home from school.

The juvenile ignored the man, and he left a note saying he wanted to meet her.

Investigators were able to identify the man as Ramos and said he was a “high-risk” registered sex offender with an extensive criminal history dating back to the 1990s.

Detectives posed as a 16-year-old female and started chatting with Ramos on various communication platforms, and over the course of nearly 400 messaged between Ramos and the detectives, Ramos sent sexually explicit photos of himself, asked for sexual pictures of the teenager and arranged meetings with the teenager with sexual intent, police said.

Ramos was arrested on February 24 when he showed up for one of the arranged meetings.

Police said the case was presented to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, and Ramos was ultimately charged in the case and is currently being held in custody.

His next court appearance is scheduled for Monday.