A Mohnton man has been charged with trying to lure children into his vehicle in separate incidents in Shillington and Reading’s Oakbrook neighborhood.
Robert Ruhe, 66, was charged with three counts of luring a child into a motor vehicle and related counts as a result of a joint investigation by Berks County detectives and Shillington and Reading police.
Ruhe of the first block of Kenny Drive surrendered Friday to county detectives in the presence of his attorney. He was taken to the central processing center and was free on $100,000 bail to await a hearing after video arraignment before District Judge David Yoch.
The incidents occurred early in the evening of Oct. 14 in Shillington and Oakbrook, police said.
Investigators provided these accounts:
In the Shillington case, a 15-year-old girl said she was walking near the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and State Street in about 6 p.m. when she was approached by an older white man driving a white SUV.
The man reportedly stopped his vehicle in the street and motioned for the teen to approach him. She declined and continued walking toward her residence.
Several minutes later, the girl encountered the same man and his vehicle near the 400 block of North Wyomissing Avenue.
He again attempted to get her attention, reportedly stating, “Hey baby, what are you doing,” then asked whether she wanted to make money.
The teen refused his advances, and he drove off.
Her cellphone was on speaker mode after she phoned her father out of fear for her safety following the initial incident.
Detectives learned of similar incidents involving three female victims, one of whom is not a minor, that occurred approximately 20 minutes earlier in Oakbrook.
In one of those incidents, two sisters, ages 16 and 6, were taking out the trash in the 1000 block of Patton Avenue when they saw the SUV traveling slowly through the area. The driver repeatedly called out to them, telling them to approach his vehicle and offering them candy if they got inside.
The 16-year-old instructed her younger sister to stay away from the vehicle and called for their mother, who was nearby. The man in the SUV drove off.
Through an extensive investigation, members of the Berks County District Attorney’s detectives, Shillington police and Reading police obtained and reviewed surveillance footage from multiple residences and locations in both jurisdictions. Detectives identified the suspect vehicle and learned it was leased by Ruhe.
Surveillance footage obtained by investigators showed the vehicle repeatedly traveling through streets and alleyways in the vicinity of the reported incidents in Shillington and Oakbrook.
City and county detectives contacted Ruhe, and he submitted to an interview during which he admitted operating his SUV in Shillington and Oakbrook around the time of the reported incidents.
He also identified himself in surveillance footage obtained from both locations, but denied speaking to the victims.
This investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information related to this case is encouraged to contact the Berks County detectives at 610-478-7171. Tips may also be submitted anonymously through Crime Alert Berks County by calling 877-373-9913, downloading the ALERTBERKS mobile app, or by texting “ALERTBERKS” followed by the tip to 847411.