Published: November 29, 2007 11:14 am      

Attorney says Mullins is innocent

Richard M. Mullins Jr. is an innocent man who did not break any laws, his attorney said Wednesday.

Mullins, a 30-year-old plumber from Greenville, was living a quiet life with his family and children until the week of Sept. 17, said his defense attorney, Michael McDaniel of New Albany. Mullins was charged with multiple felonies for alleged stalking and solicitation offenses starting that week in Floyd and Clark counties. On Wednesday, two of those charges were dismissed in Clark County.

“This man has never been in trouble with the law,” McDaniel said. “Suddenly, there are fliers out by police warning people about him and a bunch of claims against him.”

McDaniel said the credibility of Mullins’ accuser — a 13-year-old Jeffersonville girl who claimed Mullins asked her to take a ride with him and remove her shirt — didn’t play into his defense.

“This was about the law, and what the prosecutors described in the probable-cause affidavit did not meet the standards of it,” McDaniel said. “It has nothing to do with the girl herself.”

He said even if Mullins had asked the girl to go for a ride with him — which he and Mullins say Mullins did not — that would not be illegal.

“At no time did Mr. Mullins say anything inappropriate to this child,” McDaniel said. “He has children of his own and was trying to help her by letting her use his cell phone to call her mother.”

McDaniel said the case of a 22-year-old woman who said Mullins followed her and asked her for dates likely would have never been prosecuted if fliers with a picture of Mullins and his yellow Ford F-150 truck had not been distributed by police, stirring up unneeded concern.

He said Mullins first encountered the 22-year-old at her place of employment, as he bought a Christmas gift for one of his children.

“Again, this man, even if he did everything those records say, did not break any laws,” McDaniel said. “This is a good man who has been virtually ruined by these fliers.”

Mullins has all but lost his plumbing business, and has been ostracized by members of the community, McDaniel said.

Now that the child solicitation charges are dropped, McDaniel hopes to focus more on Mullins’ other cases and help ensure his freedom.

“In cases where the police are concerned about situations, I understand they have that right [to pursue those accused] and support it,” McDaniel said. “But, there needs to be some kind of balance. I personally think from the beginning, nothing he did merited the almost immediate and widespread panic against him. From there, it just got out of control.”