Ron Jeremy's transfer to 'private residence' upheld by LA County judge amid sexual assault case
HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- Former adult film star Ron Jeremy, who was previously found mentally incompetent to stand trial on rape and other charges involving 21 alleged victims, will be transferred to a private residence in response to his dementia diagnosis, a judge ruled Thursday, to the dismay of the women he's accused of abusing.
Several alleged victims attended a hearing in a Hollywood courtroom Thursday, when Jeremy's placement was being discussed. Although some were permitted to speak in court, Jeremy himself was not present.
"He should never, ever be free," one alleged victim told reporters outside court. "He should never be free. He's a predator. He's a monster. And he's taking no accountability. And he's going to be released into a nice posh residence with 24-hour caregivers and everything else. That's not right. That is not justice. That's not justice.
"I will not have any closure. In fact, we weren't even able to speak directly to him in a trial. We were not even able to confront him so we could have that burden, so I could feel as though I was able to speak out to him, and say, Hey, you remember me. You remember exactly what you did to me.' I didn't get that. I didn't get that."
Jeremy, now 70, pleaded not guilty in August 2021 to 12 counts of forcible rape, seven counts of forcible oral copulation, six counts of sexual battery by restraint, four counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object, two counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious or asleep person and one count each of lewd act upon a child under the age of 14 or 15, sodomy by use of force and assault with intent to commit rape.
Prosecutors alleged that the crimes involving alleged victims ranging in age from 15 to 51 occurred over a 23-year span dating back to 1996.
They alleged that Jeremy -- whose real name is Ronald Jeremy Hyatt -- raped a 19-year-old woman during an October 1996 photo shoot in the San Fernando Valley, a 26-year-old woman at a party in a nightclub in October 2000 and a 17-year-old girl at a Woodland Hills home in 2008.
He is also accused of sexually assaulting a young woman at a strip club in the City of Industry some time between 2002 and 2003, a 15-year-old girl in June 2004, a woman at his home in 2010 and a 38-year-old woman in January 2013 at a West Hollywood bar he frequented, according to the district attorney's office.
Jeremy was initially charged in January 2020 with sex-related counts involving four women, with prosecutors subsequently adding charges involving 19 other alleged victims.
The indictment involves 21 of those alleged victims. The other two alleged victims were not able to testify due to personal reasons, a prosecutor said.
Jeremy was arrested in June 2020 and has remained in custody since then.
The case stemmed from a two-year investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Los Angeles Police Department and the DA's Bureau of Investigation.
City News Service contributed to this report.
