Rutledge Deas, previously convicted in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish for posing as a special needs individual, was arrested again in Lafayette earlier this year for similar accusations. State police in Lafayette said, “Deas portrayed himself as the special needs individual and required the victim to perform tasks consistent with infant and toddler care, including diaper changes.” The latest arrest has left past victims, like Callie Frickey, shocked. Frickey, one of two victims in New Orleans, said she was duped by Deas in 2020 into believing he was a developmentally disabled adult living Uptown who needed care. “It’s just a bit ridiculous,” Frickey said. She added, “All of us were well educated, we tried to help people when we can, and he took advantage of that.” Court records show that a New Orleans judge sentenced Deas to 10 years in jail in 2020, but the sentence was suspended. He was ordered to seek treatment and placed on supervised probation. However, in 2022, Deas was arrested again in Jefferson Parish for the same crimes. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in jail, with nine years suspended. He was ordered to seek treatment and stay off the internet, social media, and some apps. In February of this year, Deas was arrested again in Lafayette, marking three incidents in six years. Frickey expressed concerns about the effectiveness of court-mandated mental health treatment. “Yes, he needs mental health help, but he’s clearly not getting it,” she said. Dr. Gina Mire, a board-certified forensic psychologist at Tulane who specializes in assessing criminal defendants before trial, said there are challenges in ensuring individuals receive the mental health treatment they need, even when ordered by the court. “Absolutely, because it is a difficult task, right, because what access to treatment do they have? The criminal justice system is not independently wealthy and does not have the resources to prove empirically validated treatments,” Mire said. She noted that funds for mental health programs in the criminal justice system have diminished over the years. “Those are the things we were provided after Katrina, but slowly, over the years, that interest has waned, and so have the federal dollars that have supported those programs,” she said. Criminal defense lawyers argue that judges face difficult decisions in cases like Deas’s. “The purpose of sentencing, besides punishment, is the deterrent effect, and obviously the last two times he was sentenced, that didn’t have much of a deterrent effect, so what’s left but to put him in jail? So yes, he belongs in jail,” Pat Fanning, a defense lawyer said. Following Deas’s arrest in Lafayette, Jefferson Parish Judge Stephen Grefer revoked his probation and ordered him to serve the full 10-year sentence behind bars. Victims have expressed support for the decision. “At some point, try something different, and if he needs jail time to get his life together, that may be just what he needs,” Frickey said. Deas’s case in Lafayette is still pending. If convicted or if he pleads guilty, it will be his third offense, which could trigger stricter sentencing.
NEW ORLEANS —
Rutledge Deas, previously convicted in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish for posing as a special needs individual, was arrested again in Lafayette earlier this year for similar accusations.
State police in Lafayette said, “Deas portrayed himself as the special needs individual and required the victim to perform tasks consistent with infant and toddler care, including diaper changes.”
The latest arrest has left past victims, like Callie Frickey, shocked.
Frickey, one of two victims in New Orleans, said she was duped by Deas in 2020 into believing he was a developmentally disabled adult living Uptown who needed care.
“It’s just a bit ridiculous,” Frickey said.
She added, “All of us were well educated, we tried to help people when we can, and he took advantage of that.”
Court records show that a New Orleans judge sentenced Deas to 10 years in jail in 2020, but the sentence was suspended.
He was ordered to seek treatment and placed on supervised probation.
However, in 2022, Deas was arrested again in Jefferson Parish for the same crimes.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in jail, with nine years suspended.
He was ordered to seek treatment and stay off the internet, social media, and some apps.
In February of this year, Deas was arrested again in Lafayette, marking three incidents in six years.
Frickey expressed concerns about the effectiveness of court-mandated mental health treatment. “Yes, he needs mental health help, but he’s clearly not getting it,” she said.
Dr. Gina Mire, a board-certified forensic psychologist at Tulane who specializes in assessing criminal defendants before trial, said there are challenges in ensuring individuals receive the mental health treatment they need, even when ordered by the court.
“Absolutely, because it is a difficult task, right, because what access to treatment do they have? The criminal justice system is not independently wealthy and does not have the resources to prove empirically validated treatments,” Mire said.
She noted that funds for mental health programs in the criminal justice system have diminished over the years.
“Those are the things we were provided after Katrina, but slowly, over the years, that interest has waned, and so have the federal dollars that have supported those programs,” she said.
Criminal defense lawyers argue that judges face difficult decisions in cases like Deas’s.
“The purpose of sentencing, besides punishment, is the deterrent effect, and obviously the last two times he was sentenced, that didn’t have much of a deterrent effect, so what’s left but to put him in jail? So yes, he belongs in jail,” Pat Fanning, a defense lawyer said.
Following Deas’s arrest in Lafayette, Jefferson Parish Judge Stephen Grefer revoked his probation and ordered him to serve the full 10-year sentence behind bars.
Victims have expressed support for the decision.
“At some point, try something different, and if he needs jail time to get his life together, that may be just what he needs,” Frickey said.
Deas’s case in Lafayette is still pending. If convicted or if he pleads guilty, it will be his third offense, which could trigger stricter sentencing.