Norris Greenhouse Jr. defense attorney says rape claim ‘bogus’

An allegation of rape against Norris Greenhohuse Jr., a defendant in a high-profile murder case, is “completely bogus,” defense attorney George Higgins said.

A report that a woman has claimed Greenhouse raped her in 2011 was investigated by the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office. No no arrest was made. Instead, the department turned the matter over to the District Attorney’s Office with a recommendation of “3rd degree rape” to be presented to a Grand Jury.

District Attorney Charles Riddle recused his office from handling the case due to a conflict of interest. Greenhouse’s father is an assistant district attorney. The Attorney General’s Office will take up prosecution of this matter and decide whether to present the case to a grand jury.

The AG’s Office is handling the prosecution of Greenhouse for 2nd degree murder of 6-year-old Jeremy Mardis and the attempted 2nd degree murder of the child’s father, Christopher Few, during a traffic stop in Marksville on Nov. 3, 2015. That trial is scheduled for Oct. 2. A hearing on several pre-trial motions -- including a prosecution motion to introduce evidence that Greenhouse used his position as a law enforcement officer to satisfy his sexual desires -- is scheduled for June 12.

Third degree rape is sex when the victim is “incapable of resisting or of understanding the nature of the act by reason of a stupor or abnormal condition of mind produced by an intoxicating agent or any cause and the offender knew or should have known of the victim's incapacity."

For example, if a woman is too drunk to resist, the act would meet the description of 3rd degree rape.

Higgins blasted prosecutors in April for filing the “sexual desires” motion, saying then that the claims in the motion were unfounded when they were first made several years ago.

In response to the latest claim against his client, Higgins said he must once again “address false allegations.”

He said prosecutors “have been aware of this 'story' for well over a month. No report of this incident was made until five years later. Additionally, no report was made until Norris Greenhouse Jr. was 'in the news’” for the Mardis-Few shooting case.

Higgins said the Sheriff’s Office investigated the matter for a month and chose not to make an arrest and Riddle recused his office “from a case in which there is no case, no arrest and only an arrestless month-long investigation. This allegation is completely bogus."