Army Ranger Instructor charged with raping minor after offering beer and money

A US Army Ranger instructor may have ended his career as a sucessful soldier after being arrested and charged with raping a teen girl in Florida.

Sergeant First Class Richard Cruz was arrested and charged with sexual assault on a person between 12 and 18 and contributing to the delinquency of a minor- serious charges that bring with them a $750,000 bond.

Eglin Air Force Base -home of the US Army Ranger School’s “Florida Phase” at Camp Rudder- confirmed that Cruz is assigned to the 6th Ranger Training Battalion as a Ranger Instructor.

Police reports indicate that Cruz took an alleged underage female to Navarre Beach on March 29, where he offered her a beer and $50 to go skinny dipping.

At first, the female victim reportedly got into the water with her undergarments on but stripped them after Cruz told her he would not pay her until she had stripped everything off.

According to WNCT, the two returned to the car after the swim, where Cruz allegedly told the victim, “come on let’s do it, nobody will know.”

Despite being told “no” multiple times, the Ranger Instructor allegedly took matters into his own hands, “climbed over the center console, pulled the lever to lower the seat back and then inserted himself.”

When inappropriate photos were found on Cruz’s phone by an unidentified individual, the victim was taken to Fort Walton hospital, where doctors noted injuries consistent with sexual assault and administered a rape kit.

In response to the findings, Cruz was detained and interviewed by authorities on Friday.