Batesville, Indiana Mayor Richard Fledderman, 60, was charged with patronizing a prostitute.
The man, Randy Wigle-Stevens, 42, has also been charged with failure to disclose dangerous communicable disease status, prostitution and intimidation. The HIV-positive man charged with blackmail, had sex with Fledderman in his home, according to ABC News.
Wigle-Stevens ignited the case by going to the Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis on July 19 claiming that he had been sexually assaulted by the mayor. But since that allegation, police investigators have come across conflicting stories of what really happened.
Fledderman told police that he met Wigle-Stevens on a website when he posted that he was looking for a massage while his wife was out of town. Later, according to Detective Roger Drew, Fledderman admitted that he was really looking for sex, not a massage.
The mayor stated that he paid Drew, $170 which included a tip, to have consensual sex at his house on June 7, 2014. But Wigle-Stevens told Drew that Fledderman forced him to have sex with him.
But Fledderman said that the man demanded $500 for his silence once he found out that he was a public officer threatening him with the fat that he had DNA evidence of them having sex. On the other side of the story, Wigle-Stevens admitted to noticing a badge that read “Mayor of Batesville” and that he called the mayor several days later asking for $250 more, but because they spend two hours discussing politics at the mayor’s house as well.
After the call, Fledderman told Drew that h met the man in a parking lot and paid him the additional $250, plus $20 for gas. At that time, the man told the mayor that he had possession of a paper towel carrying his DNA.
Wigle-Stevens’ trial is set for February 16.
Wigle-Stevens was diagnosed with HIV 20 year ago. At this time, the HIV status of the mayor has not been disclosed.