SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) – A local teenager, who was the first of 13 women to accuse a dental assistant of sexual assault, shared her story with CBS News 8 Wednesday evening.
The teenager, whom CBS News 8 has identified as Lizette to protect her identify, described what happened to her in January at the Park Boulevard Oral Surgery Office in Hillcrest as unthinkable.
“I didn’t know what to do. I was scared. He was grabbing my boobs and stuff,” said Lizette.
Lizette, who was only 17-years-old at the time, was sedated while having two wisdom teeth removed. When she awoke, she realized the dental assistant, 36-year-old Luis Ramos, was sexually assaulting her.
“All I remember was when I woke up, he was like, ‘I’m going to clean you.’ I was thinking, why are you going to clean me? When I went to sleep I was covered completely. He came with a washcloth and was rubbing my chest,” said Lizette.
Lizette recalls being groggy when she tried to look down as Ramos lifted her shirt and her sports bra, but according to her, Ramos pushed her head away. Ramos then left the room to retrieve a wheelchair for her and pushed her to the front, according to Lizette.
“The lady who was with me was like, ‘are you okay?’ I was like, just get me out of here. She asked me what happened and I told her,” said Lizette.
Once they arrived to the group home, they contacted the San Diego Police Department. When officers arrived, they asked Lizette to describe the room. She did and she also told them she had noticed a camera in the corner of the room. Prosecutors said the surveillance video contains evidence that corroborates with Lizette’s story.
According them, the video in fact does show Ramos touching her breasts and putting his face in her chest for about seven minutes.
The evidence provides relief to Lizette who was afraid no one would believe her.
“I just thought, because I was a foster kid, who cares. She’s a foster kid, nobody wants her anyways,” said Lizette.
She hopes her story encourages other victims of sexual assault to speak up.
“It’s scary to come forward, but it works out in the end,” she said.
After Lizette came forward, a dozen more women said they too were assaulted by Ramos and many of them have been added to the case.
Ramos faces 34 years in prison if convicted of all charges which include sexual battery and penetration on an incapacitated person.