Wednesday, April 6, 2022

49-year-old Ruben Cardenas Jr., A Former Milwaukee Cop Charged With Two Felony Counts For 2nd-degree Sexual Assault Of A Child

Cardenas Jr. is allegedly accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl on Sunday.

By H. Nelson Goodson 
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

April 6, 2022

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Wednesday, Ruben Cardenas Jr., 49, a former intelligence officer with the Milwaukee Police Department Intelligence Fusion Center was charged with two felony counts of 2nd-degree sexual assault of a child under the age of 16 in connection with last Sunday's sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl. If convicted, Cardenas Jr. is facing up to 40 years in prison and up to $100,000 in fines for each count. A cash bail of $30,000 was set for Cardenas Jr. on Wednesday.

Cardenas Jr. retired from the Milwaukee Police Department in February, according to police sources.

According to the criminal complaint, the 13-year-old girl told her family members that Cardenas Jr. has sexually assaulted her at home on Sunday.

Police investigators say that on April 3, both the 13-year-old girl's mother and her boyfriend Cardenas Jr. came home from an evening out. He then walked into the 13-year-old girl's bedroom while she was sleeping in bed and proceeded to lower her shorts and underwear. Cardenas Jr. then penetrated her vagina with his finger and began to rub the outside of her vagina as well. She finched her body and immediately Cardenas Jr. removed his hand and exited the bedroom.

The 13-year-old girl then called a friend about the sexual assault by Cardenas Jr., which she also called her father and two sisters to let them know that she was just sexually assaulted by Cardenas  Jr.

Police arrested Cardenas Jr. and was then taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where a search warrant was executed to perform a DNA swab of Cardenas Jr. hands.

The 13-year-old girl was transported to the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin to perform a sexual assault examination to collect potential evidence.

Cardenas Jr. was a 26-year and 5 months veteran with the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD). He started as a Milwaukee police officer on December 1995 and was assigned to the Milwaukee Police Department Southeastern Wisconsin Threat Analysis Center (MPD Intelligence Fusion Center) in June 2004. In 2011, Cardenas Jr. became a senior intelligence analyst and in March 2016, he became an intelligence officer at MPD.

His next court preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 14, according to court records.


Update: 

On April 14, 2022, Cardenas Jr.'s case was transferred to Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Glenn Yamahiro after a request for substitution of judge was filed by the suspect's attorney. 

Cardenas Jr. remains free after posting bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for May 16, 2022 at 1:30p.m..

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