The long-running criminal case against former model and convicted sex offender Dean Kelly has been put on ice yet again in a New Orleans courtroom. After a brief pretrial conference on Monday, a judge agreed to delay the proceedings, pulling the case off this month’s calendar and giving both sides more time to get their files in order. Prosecutors say the pause comes as they continue digging into alleged probation violations and new assault-related claims.
At the hearing, the judge set another pretrial conference for May 20, 2026, as reported by WDSU. The outlet noted that the latest postponement followed a quick in-and-out appearance in court and that no firm trial date has been set. WDSU’s report also underscored prosecutors’ ongoing concerns about whether Kelly is following the rules of his supervision.
Case timeline and charges
Kelly was arrested in December 2023 on a New Orleans Police Department warrant that accused him of attempted third-degree rape and sexual battery, an arrest the U.S. Marshals Service listed as part of its Operation Boo Dat arrests. In May 2024, the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Special Victims Unit formally filed sexual battery and attempted rape charges tied to the incident, and prosecutors urged anyone who had been contacted by Kelly online to come forward, according to FOX 8.
Past convictions and probation issues
Before the current case, Kelly served about a decade in prison after convictions for sexual battery and related offenses, and while behind bars he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of threatening a public official, according to earlier coverage by WDSU. Court documents obtained by reporters claim Kelly used aliases and older photographs on dating sites and failed to register required information, conduct prosecutors say violated the terms of his probation. WDSU has reported that those prior convictions and registration rules have shaped both the conditions of his release and how prosecutors are handling the new case.
What’s next
The May 20 pretrial hearing is expected to give the court a chance to sort through pending motions and for prosecutors to decide whether to pursue probation revocation that could turn part of a suspended sentence into actual time behind bars. Prosecutors have previously asked to revoke Kelly’s bond and, in a related proceeding, a judge ordered a 30-day jail sanction tied to his probation status, according to FOX 8. Both sides are expected to be back in court as the case continues to grind through pretrial scheduling and discovery.
