ROCKLAND CORRECTION OFFICER ACCUSED OF TRADING DOPE FOR SEX

Falco says he nearly killed prostitute with bad batch of brown sugar

Rockland County Corrections Officer Ranolfo Ventillo was living a double life clouded by criminality, drugs and prostitution, investigators in the Sheriff’s Dept. allege.

After working with inmates all day and night, investigators accuse Ventillo of routinely arranging meetings with local prostitutes and trading heroin for sex. Sheriff Louis Falco III announced the arrest of Ventillo, 49, of New City on Wednesday on several felony and misdemeanor counts.

Ventillo’s trail was first detected during an investigation into a drug overdose. Sheriff’s officers soon determined that Ventillo was allegedly providing heroin to prostitutes in exchange for sex. One of these encounters led to a female suffering a heroin overdose while inside of a vehicle being operated by Ventillo, Falco said.

Not only did his tainted junk wipe the woman out, police allege Ventillo failed to even render aid or contact 911 to request emergency medical assistance. A call was eventually made by someone who witnessed the incident and the overdose victim was revived and transported to a hospital.

Ventillo has been employed as a Corrections Officer by the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office since 2001 and he was suspended without pay by the Sheriff’s Office following his arrest. The Journal News reported in 2014 that Ventillo earned more in overtime than any other Rockland jail officer. He had a base pay of $77,984.14, but with overtime his salary more than tripled to $279,733.07.

The accused was processed by Sheriff’s Office Detectives on the charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree and criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, both class B-felonies, official misconduct, and patronizing a prostitute in the third degree, both class A misdemeanors.

Ventillo was arraigned in the Clarkstown Justice Court before Judge Howard Gerber and remanded on $75,000 bail.