Man beaten, tattooed, wrongly labeled 'rapest'

DEL CITY, Okla. - Two men and two women are accused of pinning down a man who has learning disabilities, tattooing "RAPEST" on his forehead and shocking his genitals with a stun gun before beating him unconscious with a baseball bat, police said yesterday.

The accused told police they attacked Stetson Johnson, 18, because he tried to have sex with one of them, according to a police spokesman. Detectives found no evidence to support their claims, he said.

Johnson, of Oklahoma City, said he is acquainted with all four but has never tried to hurt any of them. He said the April 17 attack began when he was thrown to the ground and kicked in the face "dozens of times" by two men while two women took turns using a stun gun on his genitals. He said the attackers yelled obscenities at him.

"I was screaming. It was hurting," he said. "After they kicked me in the face I said, 'Oh my god, they're going to kill me.'"

Two women and two men are being held without bail but have not been formally charged. Capt. Jody Suit, spokesman for the Del City Police Department, said police plan to recommend charges of assault and battery, maiming by disfigurement and kidnapping.

The attackers placed duct tape around Johnson's hands and held him down while one tattooed "RAPEST" on his forehead, Johnson said. The word, apparently a misspelling of "rapist," has since been covered with another tattoo.

They then put Johnson in a car and took him to Del City, where he was beaten in the arms and head with a baseball bat, causing a gash in his head that required 18 stitches to close.

Police seized tattoo guns, needles, ink and a Taser gun after the suspects were taken into custody, according to a police report.

Johnson said he has trouble breathing and seeing out of one eye.

He said he would like to have the tattoos removed but cannot afford it. In the meantime, he had the one on his forehead turned into a barcode, with the numerals "7" that he hopes will bring him luck and a reference to 2010, which he said was a good year for him.