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Ex-Baton Rouge officer charged with repeat sex offenses

On Behalf of | Jun 7, 2014 | Firm News, Sex Offenses |

Sex crime charges can dramatically affect a Louisiana defendant’s future and wipe out a long-sought, hard-earned reputation in the blink of an eye. The public is quick to judge, especially when alleged sex offenses involve children. In response, the state prosecutes aggressively.

A former Louisiana State University police officer resigned in 2008, after an internal investigation detected pornography on the employee’s computer. The department veteran of more than 20 years quit a few days after federal agents seized his workplace electronic devices. The Baton Rouge man pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and served about 16 months of an 18-month federal prison term.

The defendant recently was arrested at his home, after an alleged victim claimed the 67-year-old sexually abused him starting in 1997. The complaint stated molestations began when the victim was 7 years old and continued for over a decade. Allegations said the victim received money, after each encounter in the defendant’s two East Baton Rouge Parish homes.

The accused man admitted to police he knew the person who made the charges, but said the abuse stories were concocted. He told investigators the accuser fabricated the charges because the defendant refused to give him money last year. The arrest warrant said the victim didn’t report the molestation earlier because he was embarrassed and fearful, but the man changed his mind after deciding the defendant “ruined his life.”

The arrest occurred after a judge ruled evidence was sufficient to issue a warrant. The accused man is bound to the terms of post-release supervision from the earlier conviction. He may remain behind bars until a probation hearing is held.

Someone who has been convicted of a past sex crime can be an easy target for new, false accusations. A prior conviction does not guarantee a repeat conviction, but the criminal defense strategy must be formidable to separate the defendant’s past from the present.

Source: The Advocate, “Former LSU police officer accused of child molestation” Ryan Broussard, May. 29, 2014

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