4 of 6 Sex Charges Against Deputy Dismissed

A judge Thursday threw out four of the six charges against a former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy accused of raping his wife and a Calabasas woman.

Harris Scott Mintz, 41, who was once assigned to the Lost Hills-Malibu sheriff’s station, must stand trial on two counts of felony sexual assault for allegedly raping the Calabasas woman in her home Dec. 22, 1995, while on duty, Municipal Judge Stephen Marcus ruled at the preliminary hearing.

But the judge dismissed four counts against Mintz after his wife testified that she lied to police investigators about three alleged incidents of spousal rape to get back at her husband for marital infidelities.

Defense attorneys were confident that their client would prevail.

“The prosecution has some serious problems in this case,” attorney James E. Blatt said.

He cited the victim’s work as a phone sex actress, her drunken state at the time of the alleged crime, a desperate financial situation and her failure to alert authorities after she said a crime was committed.

But those claims were rejected by Deputy Dist. Atty. Susan Steinfeld.

“I feel she’s very credible,” Steinfeld said. “She’s willing to admit to being in a difficult time and place in her life. It was for those reasons Deputy Mintz chose her as a victim.”

Mintz surrendered in November after an internal affairs investigation and the Calabasas woman reached a $100,000 settlement with the county.