NEW ORLEANS — A bizarre case is underway in Orleans Parish involving a 29-year-old who tricked several women into changing his soiled diapers. However, some of the charges he originally was booked with were never officially implemented.
Last November, Rutledge Deas IV was arrested after at least four female caretakers came forward saying he posed as a handicap person and had hired them to change his diapers.
The victims, hired from an online app, claim he'd get visibly aroused during the changes and reported it to authorities after realizing the scam.
After police searched an apartment on the 1200 block of Marengo Street, Deas was booked on multiple charges, including 10 counts of Sexual Battery. However, court documents show they were refused, and the DA never officially instituted them.
In a statement, the D.A.'s office wrote:
"Upon screening the case presented by police, it was determined there was insufficient evidence to successfully prosecute the alleged counts of sexual battery. Those suggested charges were not included in the bill of information filed against this defendant on November 20th."
"Obviously the District Attorney's office looked at the facts and made the prosecutorial decision that this was not a sexual battery," said WWL-TV Legal Analyst, Chick Foret.
"This was not a touching by the defendant, he was not the person who reached out and touched and participated in the sexual battery, that's the legal explanation as to why he was not charged with sexual battery. However, the District Attorney's office can charge the defendant with other crimes which is what they did."
In addition to misdemeanor drug charges, Deas faces four counts of human trafficking, since he deceived the women into touching him. Each count, if found guilty, means up to 10 years behind bars. Deas meanwhile awaits his fate in jail, with a $1.5 million bond.
SEE: New Orleans man posed as handicapped brother for sexual crimes, police say
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.
