Wife of Ex-Deputy Recants Accusation That He Raped Her
In a surprising--and potentially damaging--turnabout for prosecutors Tuesday, the wife of a former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy recanted earlier statements in which she accused her husband of rape.
Harris Scott Mintz, 41, faces six charges of sexual assault for incidents involving his wife and a Calabasas woman he was accused of raping while on duty in 1995. If convicted, he could spend up to 48 years behind bars.
On Tuesday, however, during the second day of a preliminary hearing, the deputy’s wife testified she lied to an internal investigator for the Sheriff’s Department regarding three attacks that allegedly occurred between 1992 and 1995. She said they were engaging in consensual “rough” sex, which included spanking, hair pulling, pushing and screaming.
“I was not a victim,” she said. “I was always consenting.”
Before he surrendered to authorities in November, Mintz was the target of an 11-month internal Sheriff’s Department investigation. The county paid $100,000 in a settlement with the Calabasas woman Mintz is accused of raping.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
