Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich announced Monday that a man had been found guilty of raping a teenager in 2025.
Javid Ruiz, 36, of Akron, was found guilty of the following crimes:
- One count of rape by force, a first degree felony
- One count rape of impaired person, a first degree felony
- One count of gross sexual imposition, a third degree felony
- One count of failure to comply with underage alcohol laws, an unclassified misdemeanor
In April 2025, two teenagers attempted to get into bars and gained entry into Dreamer’s Cabaret in Akron, the prosecutor’s office said.
Inside the bar, a woman they had never met before bought them shots and pointed them to Ruiz and another man, stating that the girls would be “safe with them.”
According to the prosecutor’s office, Ruiz and the other man took the girls across the street to “the Studio” and poured whiskey into their mouths until they became severely intoxicated.
The men then took the females to a neighboring lake and apartment complex, where Ruiz raped one of them.
The females were dropped back off at “the Studio” across from Dreamer’s Cabaret, where they sought assistance.
Despite Ruiz’s claims that he never met the girls, forensic DNA evidence acquired during the inquiry proved him as the culprit, according to the prosecutor’s office.
I want to thank the victim for her bravery in coming forward about Javid Ruiz’s violent and horrific actions. Targeting a young woman, exploiting her trust, and using alcohol to make her vulnerable is predatory behavior that will not be tolerated in Summit County. I hope she finds some semblance of peace knowing Ruiz is finally facing justice.
Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich
Ruiz is slated for sentencing on May 5, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.