Once a prominent figure in the adult film industry, Ron Jeremy has now been deemed incompetent to stand trial on more than 30 counts of sexual assault. In a recent development, a judge has granted a request to release Jeremy from jail and place him in a private residence with round-the-clock medical care.
Jeremy, who is currently 70 years old, has been suffering from dementia and has been in Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles since last year. His deteriorating health has made it impossible for him to stand trial, and no medical facility has been willing to take him in.
“His medical condition has deteriorated to the point that he is essentially bedridden,” said Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson in an email to victims in Jeremy’s criminal case.
Thompson expressed his concerns about Jeremy’s release, stating that prosecutors “expressed concern that even if he is physically incapable of leaving the residence, he could assault caregivers which he has allegedly attempted to do at other facilities.”
Jeremy’s attorney, Stu Goldfarb, defended his client’s innocence and argued that his release was the most humane outcome for a defendant who has not been convicted and faces an irreversible health decline.
He’s not competent to go trial and he’s not been proven guilty but he’s charged with a serious felony. What do you do with him?” Goldfarb asked. “Most importantly how do you protect the public, and equally as important, how do you protect his civil rights? He ends up in a facility that’s secure, so the public is not at risk and he doesn’t have to be housed in prison.”
Tiffiny Blacknell, director of communications for the district attorney’s office, expressed her sympathy for the victims in this case.
“I feel very badly that this is where we are, but it is beyond our control. His mental and physical condition deteriorated rapidly, and we are left with no other options,” she wrote. “I’m sorry that we couldn’t get complete justice for you in court.”
Jeremy’s release marks a somber turn of events in a case that has spanned over two years. While the victims may not receive the justice they were seeking in court, Jeremy’s declining health has left the authorities with no other choice but to release him into private care.