San Diego
The “Pacific Beach Bag Lady,” JoAn Rutledge, 55, brutally beaten in a public restroom Sept. 1, is recovering from two reconstructive operations done on her left eye and nose.
“She’s doing real well,” Diane Yohe, Scripp Memorial Hospital spokesman said. “She’s remembering a lot more and she is walking now and eating soft foods.”
Rutledge still needs minor surgery to remove the wires supporting her bone structure and is expected to be in the hospital for at least two more weeks.
The bills for hospital expenses, excluding physician fees, total $46,637, according to Yohe. A fund set up by Pacific Beach residents that is being handled by the Scripp Memorial Foundation has raised $8,491 in donations in Rutledge’s name.
Jose Hernandez Herrera, a 26-year-old illegal alien, is being held in the County Jail charged with assault to rape, assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder in the attack. He is scheduled to appear in Superior Court Nov. 13.
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