An Arizona assistant principal was arrested on suspicion of helping her son evade police after he was accused of sexually assaulting his adopted sisters for several years, Glendale police said.
The two sisters accused 73-year-old Ramona Ramirez, their adopted mother, of refusing to report years of sexual abuse they endured by their older brother, Vicente Ramirez, 32.
Glendale officers arrived at Ironwood High School on Oct. 14, after a 16-year-old girl reported to school staff that her brother had allegedly sexually assaulted her and her younger sister, 15, according to court documents.
Vicente Ramirez, the biological son of Ramona Ramirez, is accused of sexually exploiting his younger sisters for years.
She told the two girls that this conduct between siblings was "normal," court records said.
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Ramona Ramirez served as an assistant principal at Isaac Middle School for the past 25 years.
She was placed on administrative leave Oct. 16, Superintendent Dr. Lily Mesa-Lema of Isaac School District #5 announced in a statement to parents.
She said the district could take "appropriate next steps" when additional information became available.
The Isaac School District Governing Board voted to terminate Ramona Ramirez at a special behind-closed-doors meeting on Oct. 28. She was terminated because she failed to report her arrest to her supervisor, the board said.
Sisters described years of abuse
The teenage girls told an employee of Arizona's Department of Child Safety that they endured the abuse from as early as age 8 and up to 14. At the time, one of the victims stated Vicente Ramirez had allegedly taken videos of the abuse on his phone, court documents stated.
During this time, the victims would attempt to report these incidents to their mother, Ramona Ramirez, but she allegedly failed to alert the authorities, according to court documents.
In a desperate search for help, one of the girls told her grandmother about the abuse, who then told their parents. According to the victim, Vicente Ramirez denied wrongdoing, and their parents believed him, according to court documents.
Because the victim believed her parents had not taken appropriate action to protect her and her sister, eventually she spoke with her school principal, who then alerted local authorities, court documents stated.
A judge authorized an arrest warrant for Vicente Ramirez and his mother that was quickly served at the family's home. Vicente Ramirez, who lived with his parents, was not present when authorities arrived, court documents said.
When asked about Vicente Ramirez's whereabouts, Ramona Ramirez requested an attorney and denied having additional properties. She later confessed to authorities that she and her husband owned a rental property, but denied a consensual search, court documents stated.
Prior to the warrant being served, the house was under surveillance by officers, who saw a vehicle leave the house and arrive at the rental property. As detectives believed the mother and father were concealing Vicente Ramirez, the father's vehicle was then searched, according to court documents.
Inside the vehicle, officers found food, hygiene products and men's clothing. When officers questioned the mother and father separately, they both gave different stories of where their son was and why the father left their home, court documents stated.
To locate Vicente Ramirez, a search warrant was issued for the rental property. Officers found him and took him into custody at the rental home. He refused to answer questions and requested a lawyer, according to court documents.
Ramona Ramirez was taken into custody by officers and is facing multiple charges. According to court documents, those charges included failure to report abuse of a minor, risk of endangerment, child abuse, endangerment of a minor and hindering prosecution.
Her son, Vicente Ramirez, was facing multiple charges related to the alleged abuse, court documents stated.
He was held on a $250,000 cash bond, and Ramona Ramirez was released on her own recognizance, Sgt. Justin Ramsay said.
