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Lewiston PD Officer arrested for filming woman in locker room confessed on lie detector test while applying for State Trooper job!

 

 

By: Frank Parlato

It’s hard to decide which is the bigger disqualification for Alexander P. Ruckh ever being a police officer again: 

Stupidity or moral turpitude.

Ruckh is the Lewiston police officer arrested last month by NY state police for secretly filming a woman undressing in a locker room with his I-Phone 6.

What makes him so stupid is not just the illicit, stupid act itself, but, as the Reporter has exclusively learned, Ruckh actually confessed to his crime while taking a lie detector test while applying for a job with state police! 

That’s right, according to sources, he actually confessed during the interview process.

The 31-year-old Ruckh started blabbing about what he had done while taking a mandatory lie detector test, a requirement to be hired as a NY state trooper, according to sources.

“He probably never would have been caught had he not gotten nervous during his lie detector test,” one source said. “He answered one question evasively, was questioned further, them nervously answered another question, and another, sweating, hemming and hawing, alternately lying, and telling the truth, and caving right before the astonished interviewer’s eyes.  He confessed like you see criminals confess on TV. He folded like a cardboard suit.”

I can almost hear Ruckh now: “Yes. I once did something wrong. No. It was just a small thing. Yes. I liked this woman. No. It was nothing really – Yes. I slipped my I-Phone into the locker room and I turned on the camera.  No. I’m really sorry. Yes. I never shared the video. No. I only did it four times. And yes, only once from the window of her house. No. It was more than a year ago. No. I never did it again. I mean yes…. I mean no… I mean I don’t know what I mean.”

By the time he was done, Ruckh was nearly in tears.  State police played it with a poker face. Ruckh might have left thinking his forthright honesty might have secured him the job.

Rather than offer him a job, however, State Police used his confession to arrest him.  He took his lie detector test in November. He was arrested on December 13, accused of three counts of unlawful surveillance in the second degree.

 

 

Police are not revealing the location where he allegedly did his I-Phone spying, but our source revealed that it was at the Upper Mount Fire Company in Lewiston. The alleged surveillance occurred in the spring and summer of 2017. Ruckh was not on police duty when he did the alleged locker room filming.  

He was a volunteer fireman.

Ruckh, who was with the Lewiston PD for four years, has been suspended without pay as a policeman.  He also resigned as a volunteer fireman.

There is no allegation that Ruckh attempted to rape or sexually confront or abuse the woman.

The Niagara County District Attorney’s Office is handling the prosecution.

Niagara County District Attorney Caroline Wojtaszek said of the case, “I can tell you it did span a number of months and it did happen on a number of occasions that the allegation is that the defendant surreptitiously video recorded a victim changing clothes in a locker room,” 

Lewiston Police Chief Frank Previte said what finally happens to Ruckh depends on how his case is resolved. The translation of that is that, if Ruckh can get a plea deal for a misdemeanor, he might be able to remain on the Lewiston police force.  A felony will almost certainly force his termination.

As to whether Ruckh will do prison time, it should be noted that he is charged with three counts of unlawful surveillance in the second degree, to use or install an imaging device for sexual arousal. 

It is a class E felony.  Each offense is punishable by up to four years in prison. 

If convicted, Ruckh may be required to register as a sex offender under New York’s Sex Offender Registration Act.

Ruckh, however, is represented by one of the premier criminal defense attorneys in NY State, Joseph Latona, a Niagara Falls native. As readers know, Latona recently took one of his cases to the US Supreme Court to exonerate an innocent client.

An order of protection has been issued in this case, which means Ruckh and his I-Phone have to stay away from the alleged victim. He is due back in court on Feb. 5.

“We will appear in court and enter a plea of not guilty,” LaTona said.

Bail was set between $500 and $1,000, which Ruckh posted since his arrest.

In the end, should everyone, including the victim, decide to forgive him, let him off with a misdemeanor, and with a hearty mea culpa on his part, accompanied with tears, and let him go back to his old job, one has to ask – is this the kind of man we want as a police officer?

No, I don’t mean the perv part. I mean a guy who confesses crimes on a job interview can’t be smart enough to outwit criminals. 

This is one dumb cop.

We will be following this case closely in case it falls below the radar and Ruckh tries to slip back to wearing a badge, a gun and an I-Phone again.