Man charged of raping two women, jailed for one day
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. —
A former student at Indiana University was charged in two rape cases but spent only one day in jail.
John Enochs was charged with two counts of rape after an assault was reported at the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house in April 2015, according to WXIN.
The first alleged incident occurred in 2013, in which a woman agreed to help investigators in the case, which led to witness statements and DNA evidence tying Enochs to involvement in the incident.
Enochs took a plea deal that led to a one-day stay in jail, according to court records. He pleaded guilty to battery with moderate bodily injury as part of the plea agreement.
He will also serve one year of probation.
The two rape charges were dismissed.
"This case presented a very unusual set of circumstances in that we had two unrelated accusations, two years apart. That was an important consideration in our initial decision to charge," Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement. "However, under the law, a jury considering one case would not be allowed to know about the other. After the case(s) was filed, evidence continued to be developed that lead us to the conclusion that neither case, standing alone, presented sufficient evidence to prove rape."
Enoch's attorney, Katharine Liell, told WXIN her client should have never been charged with rape because he did not rape anyone.
"After John Enochs presented evidence to demonstrate his innocence of the sensationalized and false charges, the prosecutor’s office, on their own motion, dismissed both rape charges," she said.
"John Enochs did admit to conduct in one instance that the court found to be a misdemeanor," Liell said. "He is profoundly sorry for his lack of judgment and has apologized for his conduct."
Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Robert Miller said Enochs originally pleaded guilty to a felony.
"This turn of events was frustrating for us as prosecutors, due to the fact that there were two complaints against the defendant," Miller said. "That fact is the reason we continued to pursue accountability on his part, which led to this plea agreement. It should be noted that he entered a plea of guilty to battery as a level 6 felony. The decision to enter it as a misdemeanor was within the court’s discretion."
