Fairfield pastor faces molestation case
Facing a 27-count felony complaint, a well-known Fairfield pastor was arraigned Monday afternoon in Solano County Superior Court during the first of what are expected to be many court appearances.
The Rev. Robert Ruark of Suisun City denied the allegations of numerous lewd acts on children. The 65-year-old priest is known by many at St. Timothy Orthodox Church as ”Father Silas.”
Solano County Deputy District Attorney Mary Nguyen explained that there are three alleged victims, but said investigators are still trying to determine if there are more. If so, they’ll be added to the complaint.
Nguyen also emphasized the need for a higher bail, given the allegation that Ruark tried to dissuade at least one victim from talking to police.
Superior Court Judge E. Bradley Nelson agreed and set bail at $500,000, with a stipulation that if it is posted, Ruark will be placed under 24-hour, seven-day-a-week monitoring with a GPS.
A readiness conference was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Aug. 23 in Nelson’s courtroom.
Attorney Amanda Bevins was retained to represent Ruark.
Ruark was arrested Thursday night amid molestation allegations spanning as far back as 1994. He was booked into Solano County Jail on counts that included penetration with a foreign object and sexual battery.
Although only three victims are listed in the complaint, a total of six victims have come forward.
According to Fairfield police, the investigation into Ruark began after members of the diocese contacted the Fairfield Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit when they learned of the alleged molestations.
The alleged victims accuse Ruark of committing lewd acts on them when they were as young as 13 and, in some instances, photographing them while naked, police said. They told detectives the majority of the molestations took place both at the church on Central Way in Cordelia when they were left alone with Ruark and at his home, said Fairfield Lt. Greg Hurlbut.
Prior to joining the church, Ruark spent 22 years serving in the U.S. Army criminal investigation unit and followed that with a stint as chief investigator for Solano County Health and Social Services, Hurlbut said.
A former evangelical Protestant volunteering with Prison Fellowship Ministries at California Medical Facility in Vacaville, Ruark began a three-year program at St. Stephen’s School of Orthodox Philosophy in 1994 and was ordained as a priest in 1997.
Authorities are still trying to identify possible victims in the case and ask anyone with information to contact the Fairfield Police Department Investigations Bureau at 428-7600 or the 24-hour tip line at 428-7345.
Follow Staff Writer Melissa Murphy at Twitter.com/ReporterMMurphy.