
Lowell, Arkansas: A couple have both been arrested on charges that they sexually assaulted children, and the husband remains in custody at the Benton County Jail.
Back on November 17, 2021, 57-year-old Ralph Cosio was arrested after a girl reported the abuse of one of her friends to the Lowell Police Department on October 24.
During interviews at the Benton County Child Advocacy Center in Little Flock, one of the girls told that Ralph "had touched them basically [their] whole lives." Another disclosed in a letter that "[he] molested me for as long as I can remember to about age 11 or 12."
On January 5 he entered a plea of not-guilty to the charges against him which include three counts of rape; two counts of producing, directing, or promoting a sexual performance by a child; two counts of employing or consenting to the use of a child in a sexual performance; two counts of false imprisonment; two counts of sexual indecency with a child; two counts of sexual grooming of a child; and a number of other related charges.
Ralph is due back in court on February 22, 2022.
During the investigation, officers brought his wife, 55-year-old Minerva Cosio in for an interview.
Court documents indicate that Minerva told investigators that she took two minor girls to her husband's apartment "an unknown amount of occasions" and would make arrangements for one or both girls to stay the night.
These actions continued "even after being informed of at least some of the sexual and psychological abuse that had and was continuing to occur."
Minerva, a 16 year veteran of the Rogers School District, was arrested on January 22 and charged with permitting abuse of a minor, intimidating a witness, and endangering the welfare of a minor. She was booked into the Benton County Jail but has been released on citation.
She is due back in court on February 28.
According to Ashley Siwiec, a spokeswoman for the Rogers School District where Minerva worked as an office aide at Tucker Elementary School, none of the charges relate to any school circumstances, and Minerva resigned following her arrest.