Sylmar store employee charged with assaulting young boys for over a decade

It's a sexual assault arrest twelve years in the making. Police say Sylmar store employee Enrique Ramirez sexually assaulted young boys under 12 years old, and they believe there are more victims.

"Just based on the fact that we have 3 independent victims during this investigation that do not know each other, that leads me to believe there are more victims," says LAPD Detective Ian Lewis.

They say family of the first boy came to them in 2006 when he was 6 years old. They detained Ramirez but they didn't have enough evidence to arrest him. This time was different.

In recent weeks, two boys came forward. That's when police arrested Ramirez at the Sylmar convenient store where he worked. Police say some of the assaults happened at the American Dollar+ store, in both the large open space and in a back office. They say one boy was assaulted for 10 months.

LAPD stressed how difficult it is for sexual assault victims to come forward, "especially boy victims," said Lewis. "There's another stigma attached to that, there may be a machismo aspect if they come forward."

Ramirez is booked on three felony counts - two of continuous sexual abuse, one of lewd acts against a child. His bail is at $1.8 million. His next court appearance is in September.

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