Ron Jeremy won’t be going to trial. Back in June 2020, Jeremy was charged with multiple counts of sexual assault for a variety of alleged incidents that occurred over the course of decades. He was ultimately indicted on over 30 counts with 20 alleged victims. The former adult film entertainer was facing a prison sentence of hundreds of years if convicted, and he’s been awaiting trial behind bars ever since.
It’s now been reported by the L.A. Times that the trial will not be moving forward. The outlet reveals that mental health experts called on by both the prosecution and the defense agreed that Jeremy suffers from “severe dementia” with no indication that he’s faking his symptoms. L.A. County Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson is also quoted as saying that Jeremy will be declared incompetent to stand trial as a result.
“As a result of the agreement of the experts, the defendant will be declared incompetent to stand trial … his prognosis for improvement is not good,” Thompson said. “If he does not improve, we will not be able to try him for his crimes. Because criminal proceedings are suspended as long as he is incompetent, we also cannot get a guilty plea from him or discuss other measures to get justice for the victims in this case.”
Reviewing medical documents and interviewing Jeremy’s family members helped the experts reach this decision. It was noted by Thompson that relatives had already suspected that Jeremy was suffering from dementia prior to his 2020 arrest, which “resulted in his driver’s license being taken away.”
Jeremy is expected to be placed in a state-run hospital once declared incompetent. While he could theoretically stand trial at a later date if he shows improvement, that’s improbable to happen, as dementia is a degenerative illness from which Jeremy isn’t likely to recover. The district attorney’s office released a statement noting that prosecutors were unaware of the severity of Jeremy’s illness when charges were first filed.
“Although his attorney expressed some concern for his declining faculties, we believed him to be competent at the time of filing based upon interviews we conducted with him, among other reasons,” spokesman Greg Risling said. “We had no records at time of filing indicating that he had a dementia diagnosis.”
Ron Jeremy Was Well Known Outside of Adult Films
Comedy Central
Of course, Jeremy is best known for his work in the adult film industry, but he was a familiar presence outside of it as well. He worked as an actor in a variety of films, many of them Troma movies like Tromeo and Juliet and Citizen Toxie. Jeremy also appeared in films like Orgazmo, The Boondock Saints, and Bruce Almighty.
Jeremy also often appeared in various television shows and participated in multiple seasons of The Surreal Life. He also made a notable appearance in an episode of Comedy Central’s Chappelle’s Show. The episode was removed from streaming after Jeremy was charged with sexual assault in 2020.
