20-year Visalia fire engineer arrested on child pornography charges

By Yosi Yahoudai
Founder and Managing Partner

Thursday, May 9, 2024 6:28AM

A tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led to the arrest of one of the Visalia Fire Department’s veteran engineers.

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) — A Visalia fire engineer has been arrested on child pornography charges.

Detectives served an arrest warrant Wednesday afternoon for Ignacio Ruiz.

Ruiz is a 20-year veteran with the Visalia Fire Department.

Investigators were tipped off that Ruiz had exchanged and possessed child sexual abuse material by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Visalia Fire Chief Dan Griswold says Ruiz was placed immediately on administrative leave pending the conclusion of the investigation.

“Public trust and confidence in the Visalia Fire Department is essential and this matter will be investigated as expediently as possible,” Griswold said.

Police say there is currently no evidence that any crimes were committed by Ruiz during working hours at the fire department.

Ruiz has been booked into the Tulare County pretrial facility.

The investigation is ongoing.

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About the Author

Yosi Yahoudai is a founder and the managing partner of J&Y. His practice is comprised primarily of cases involving automobile and motorcycle accidents, but he also represents people in premises liability lawsuits, including suits alleging dangerous conditions of public property, third-party criminal conduct, and intentional torts. He also has expertise in cases involving product defects, dog bites, elder abuse, and sexual assault. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of California and is admitted to practice in all California State Courts, and the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. If you have any questions about this article, you can contact Yosi by clicking here.