Rafael Rios ~ convicted child molester

A convicted child molester from New York has been indicted on charges of raping a 10-year-old girl.

Lorain County Prosecutor Dennis Will said Rafael Rios, 45, originally was indicted in September for two counts of gross sexual imposition for allegedly fondling the girl, but the girl later told investigators that he had done more to her than she had originally wanted to say.

Will said the girl’s new allegations against Rios led to the second indictment — for rape and failure to register as a sex offender — on Wednesday.

Rios was convicted of first degree sexual abuse in Utica, N.Y., for molesting a 7-year-old girl and an 11-year-old girl in 1991, according to New York’s online sex offender registration database. He served a six-year prison sentence and was required to register his address for life.

Will said it appeared that Rios never registered in New York or locally, although he lived on West Sixth Street in Lorain.

Kenneth Ortner, Rios’ attorney, said his client didn’t think he had to register and said he didn’t molest the 10-year-old.

“He told me he did not do this,” Ortner said.

If convicted, Rios will face a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

“He has a prior conviction in New York state for similar conduct,” Will said. “It does not bode well when engaging in the same conduct with a minor here."