An investigation launched in 2019 due to reports of a Bremen man molesting his girlfriend’s niece and his girlfriend’s daughter ended on November 5, 2020. The investigation culminated in a Marshall County jury finding Ricardo Hernando Vasquez guilty of ten counts of child molesting and admitted to being a Repeat Sex Offender following a three-day jury trial.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Tami Napier prosecuted and tried the case in Marshall Superior Court 1 to a jury in Judge Robert O. Bowen’s court. Tom Black represented Vasquez.
Bremen Police Officer Nick Young investigated the case. Officer Young discovered that Vasquez had been living under an alias, “Rick Bane,” for nearly nine years. Vasquez absconded on a warrant for a child molesting conviction in Georgia. The revelation of Vasquez’s identity only happened because of the disclosure made by the victims in this case.
Vazquez molested two female victims who were cousins. One victim suffered sexual abuse for seven years from 2012 to 2019. The other victim was 12 years old at the time Vasquez victimized her in 2018. Vasquez lived with his girlfriend in Bremen under an alias for nine years.
The State charged Vasquez with four counts of Level 1 Child Molesting, three counts of Class A Felony Child Molesting, one count of Class C Child Molesting and two counts of Level 3 Child Molesting. He was also charged with a sentencing enhancement for being a Repeat Sex Offender.
“Both girls suffered terribly at the hands of this predator. Vasquez gained their trust and then preyed on both girls in a home where they should have been safe. Vasquez has now been held accountable for the damage his actions caused to the girls. What he did was beyond disgusting. They were very brave to come forward and they testified about the sexual abuse they endured. Their testimony was compelling and, based on the fact that he was convicted on all counts, the jury found them completely credible.”
Following a sentencing hearing on November 18, 2020, Judge Bowen imposed a sentence of a total of 300 years after hearing argument from Chief Deputy Napier and defense attorney Tom Black. Judge Bowen imposed consecutive sentences on each of the ten counts Vasquez was charged with and ten years for the Repeat Sex Offender enhancement.
“I was very pleased with the sentencing Vasquez got from Judge Bowen. What Vasquez did to the victims was reprehensible. Vasquez had no remorse. Ensuring defendants like Vasquez never have the chance to prey on children again is the most important duty I have as a prosecutor,” said Napier.
Vasquez will serve his sentence at the Indiana Department of Correction.
