For the third time since a police investigation began earlier this summer, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office is seeking to send a suspected serial child molester to jail while he awaits trial on multiple felony charges.
Anthony Joseph Ramon, 25, of Gilroy, was first arrested July 9 by Morgan Hill Police after a 10-year-old girl reported he molested her in a pool at a summer camp at the city’s Aquatics Center. Ramon posted bail shortly after that arrest—and twice more after additional victims came forward, leading to more charges, according to authorities.
On Sept. 4, Ramon will be charged with five felony charges for child molestation at the South County Courthouse in Morgan Hill. If convicted, he faces several years in prison.
Prosecutors from the DA’s office will seek to keep Ramon in jail with no bail while he awaits further court proceedings, the DA’s office said in a press release.
“Bail should always be about protecting public safety,” DA Jeff Rosen said. “The idea that a person suspected of sexually abusing multiple children should get the same chance at freedom as a person accused of mail fraud or some other non-violent crime is wrong, and dangerous.”
Ramon was a YMCA camp counselor supervising children during a June 30 summer camp field trip at the Morgan Hill Aquatics Center. After the field trip, MHPD received information that Ramon had sexually touched a 10-year-old victim in the pool, and officers arrested him on July 9, authorities said.
Ramon was released on $100,000 bail, says the DAs press release.
Police arrested Ramon again on July 16, after a different 10-year-old victim reported he had touched her, also in the pool during the same field trip, the DA said. Prosecutors asked the judge to hold Ramon without bail. However, the judge set Ramon’s bail at $200,000 and the suspect bailed out.
A third victim—another 10-year-old girl—then came forward and reported Ramon had similarly touched her in the pool on the same field trip. MHPD arrested Ramon again on July 27. The DA’s office again asked for no bail; but the judge set bail at $50,000, says the press release.
The DA’s office said in all, Ramon raised the total $350,000 bail amount by paying $24,500 to bail bond companies.
