No offense may set off a more negative response in society than a crime against a child. The media often reflects public sentiment when reporting alleged child sexual abuse cases and prosecutions are aggressive. Consequently, East Baton Rouge defendants accused of sex crimes can suffer profound damage to their personal and professional lives.
Charges of sexual battery of a victim under the age of 13 and aggravated rape were brought against a New Orleans resident. The 39-year-old man allegedly assaulted two girls, ages 6 and 8, in the children’s home. The girls’ caregiver called police after she suspected the children were attacked.
The caregiver told a detective she walked into a bedroom the girls shared and noticed something wasn’t right. The children were sprawled “awkwardly” on their beds. One girl appeared to have suffered an injury to her genitals.
The woman then spoke with the defendant, who was in the St. Roch residence during the caregiver’s discovery. The man apparently became angry and left the home. Reports made no mention of the man’s relationship to the members of the household.
The suspected assault in February was reported to police the same day. The children received treatment at a hospital and later participated in a forensic interview at the New Orleans Children’s Advocacy Center. According to the program’s website, the center is a hospital-affiliated child abuse investigation and treatment facility.
The children told interviewers they were assaulted after being left alone in the home with the defendant. One of the girls said the man used a belt to strike her genitals. Within days an arrest warrant was issued for the defendant; the man was arrested in early April and jailed on $350,000 bond.
A conviction for aggravated rape carries a lifetime prison sentence with no hope of parole or probation. Criminal defense attorneys protect every defendant’s rights, even those charged with the most serious offenses.
Source: The Times-Picayune, “Police arrest New Orleans man accused of sexually assaulting girls ages 6, 8” Helen Freund, Apr. 10, 2014
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