LOVELAND, Ohio — A Loveland man is facing up to 900 years in prison for rape charges involving young children, said Clermont County Prosecuting Attorney Mark J. Tekulve.
Keith Cruz is already being held at the Hamilton County Justice Center. Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers indicted Cruz in September on four counts of rape and six counts of gross sexual imposition involving children.
When Cruz was first indicted, the Loveland Police Department said they were looking for other victims.
On Wednesday, Tekulve indicted Cruz on a total of 72 counts — 36 counts of rape against a child under 13, alongside gross sexual imposition and sexual battery of that same child, pandering in sexually oriented material involving a minor and pandering in obscenity involving a minor.
If convicted, just the rape charges alone could add up to 900 years in prison — and that doesn't include his charges in Hamilton County.
Tekulve said Cruz was targeting single women who had young girls or boys who he could take advantage of. Cruz also didn't discriminate between gender, the prosecutor said.
"If you or someone you know has been victimized by Keith Cruz, please reach out to the Loveland Police Department 513-583-3000," Tekulve said. "They have worked tirelessly to ensure that all of his victims get a voice, and my office vows to do the same. Please do not hesitate to call. You deserve the chance to get your justice and peace."
When Cruz was indicted in Hamilton County, Christy Burch, CEO of the Ion Center for Violence Prevention, said the accusations against Cruz remind her of why domestic and sexual violence victim resource groups like hers are so important.
She said the prosecutor's assertion that Cruz would target mothers for romantic relationships to gain access to the children wasn't surprising.
"93% of people under the age of 18, children under the age of 18, know their attacker, know someone who sexually assaulted them," Burch said.
Burch pointed to the Ion Center, the Mayerson Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, and the Northern Kentucky Children's Advocacy Center as ideal places to start for people who've been victimized.
