MILWUAKEE — The arrest of Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan has drawn attention to the case of 32-year-old Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a native of Mexico now facing serious legal challenges.
Flores-Ruiz was in court on April 18, facing charges of domestic violence and battery, when he was taken into custody by federal agents. This arrest followed an incident in March when police were called to his home in Milwaukee’s Near West Side neighborhood after he allegedly attacked his roommate and the roommate's girlfriend.
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TMJ4's Ryan Jenkins spoke with the couple who reported the incident, asking them about their thoughts on the situation.
“What is your reaction or opinion that it's gotten to this level?” Jenkins asked.
Watch: Victims in Eduardo Flores-Ruiz's domestic violence case speak out after Milwaukee County Judge is arrested
The roommate responded in Spanish, stating, “No pues no pensabamos que ya eso iba pasar que lo iban a entregar un gallo o no se que fue lo que paso ahi,” which translates to “Well, we didn't think that was going to happen, that they were going to hand him over, or I don't know what happened there.”
The victims requested that their identities remain concealed due to concerns about potential repercussions from Flores-Ruiz’s situation, especially with deportation now a possibility.
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When Jenkins inquired whether Flores-Ruiz should be deported over this incident, the roommate replied, “Pues somos humanos todos cometemos un error pero si ya lo cometio pues tiene quest pagar sus errores,” which translates to “Well, we are all human, we all make mistakes, but if you have already made one, then you have to pay for your mistakes.”
Federal court documents indicate that Flores-Ruiz has been in the United States since 2013. He was previously removed to Mexico by Border Patrol agents in April of that year and prosecutors assert he never obtained permission to return to the U.S.
Despite remaining free of a criminal record for several years, last month’s domestic violence charges brought him back into the spotlight and alerted federal authorities to him being in Milwaukee. According to his roommates, a disturbance led to a violent episode where Flores-Ruiz attacked them, prompting their call to the police, which ultimately led to his arrest during the court hearing for those charges.
Jenkins also reached out to Flores-Ruiz's public defender for comment, but her office declined to provide any statements on the matter.
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