Concord man gets nearly 20 years in prison for child sex offenses

ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. — A married church volunteer from Concord was convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl at a vacation Bible school.

Ruben Ramirez Farias was convicted Wednesday in Rowan County on felony statutory rape, sex offense and indecent liberties with a child charges, the district attorney’s office said.

The Concord man was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison.

Farias has to register as a sex offender and submit to satellite-based monitoring for his lifetime.

The victim, who was 13 years of age at the time, told her family that she had attended vacation Bible school at a church in the summer of 2015.

During that time, the victim reported that she met Farias, who was a volunteer at the church.

Farias told the girl that he loved her and he would leave his wife for her, the district attorney’s office said.

He had sex with the victim and told her he wanted to have a baby with her when she turned 16 years old.

Law enforcement also collected text messages between Farias and the child that corroborated the victim's statements.

Farias told police they were only friends.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:

• Allstate expands to Charlotte, bringing more than 2,200 jobs
• 16-year-old charged with murder, accused of setting man's home on fire
• No arrests after man shot, killed inside car following dispute
• WATCH: Keith Monday's Wednesday forecast outlook
• Family says man shot inside home in critical condition, dog killed
• PGA CHAMPIONSHIP DAY 3: Rain lets up as more fans head to course

Cox Media Group