Tag: child abuse

Grand Isle resident sentenced to 26 years in child abuse case

A former Grand Isle resident was sentenced to more than 26 years in prison Tuesday (Sept. 19), after he admitted he sought to pay $400 to have sex with a 6- to 7-year-old girl in his home on the barrier island.

Wade Perkins III, 32, pleaded guilty as charged to attempted first-degree rape and four counts of possession of images depicting the sexual abuse of children. Perkins already was a convicted sex-offender, having been convicted in 2006 of having sex with a 14-year-old girl in his native Michigan.

Agents with the Louisiana State Police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Houma office, arrested Perkins on April 28, 2016, during an investigation triggered by a tip on Perkins’ seeking sex with juvenile girls.

In accepting the guilty pleas, Judge Ray Steib of the 24th Judicial District Court sentenced Perkins to 25 years in prison for each of the five counts and ran them concurrently. Perkins then pleaded guilty to being a double offender, given his prior conviction of second-degree criminal sexual conduct in Romulus, Mich.

Perkin was resentenced to 26 years and four months in prison as a two-time felon under Louisiana’s habitual offender law. He does not get benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence. He also faces a lifetime of sex offender registration.

Perkins also faces similar charges in Michigan.

Assistant District Attorneys Emily Booth and Douglas Rushton prosecuted the case.

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Gretna man convicted of producing child pornography while sexually abusing 1-year-old girl

A Gretna man was found guilty Tuesday night (May 16), of using his cell phone to take videos and photographs of himself sexually abusing a toddler.

Roy Dixon Jr., 26, was convicted as charged of two counts of sexual battery of a juvenile under age 13 and one count of production of pornography involving juveniles under the age of 13. The victim, who is not being identified, was a 1-year-old girl when Dixon abused her.

Dixon was 21 years old when the Gretna Police Department arrested him on Jan. 26, 2013. Earlier that day, a 21-year-old Algiers man Dixon met through a website personals ad visited Dixon at his Gretna home for a sex encounter. Afterward, while Dixon was out of the room, the visitor scrolled through Dixon’s cell phone and found an illegal video. The visitor fled with the device and alerted the New Orleans Police Department’s 4th District in Algiers.

New Orleans police seized the phone and referred the man to Gretna police, leading to Dixon’s arrest a short time later. While in a holding cell at Gretna police headquarters, detective Jeff Laborie overheard Dixon crying and speaking to himself, referring to himself as “stupid” and saying he should have deleted the videos.

Dixon later confessed to detective Sgt. Louis Alvarez, during an interview that was video recorded and shown to the jury on Tuesday. Dixon told the detective he created the images at the request of a man named Brad, whom he said he met at a West Bank bookstore.

Dixon asserted he shared the videos with the man via text messages. But he otherwise denied harming or raping the child.

Detective Stephen Villere, who supervises the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office’s Digital Forensics Unit, found 14 illicit photographs and three videos on Dixon’s laptop computer and cell phone. All images were taken on Dixon’s phone, in July and August of 2012, and transferred to the laptop, Villere testified.

Dixon’s defense team denied the charges. Dixon’s mother testified in her son’s defense, accusing police of coercing the confession. She also asserted that someone else created the incriminating images.

The jury of five women and seven men deliberated a half hour in reaching its verdict. Judge Stephen Enright of the 24th Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence Dixon on June 15.

Assistant District Attorneys Blair Constant and Lynn Schiffman prosecuted the case.

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Former playground coach pleads guilty to molesting boys, gets 35-year sentence

A former Jefferson Parish playground coach was sentenced to 35 years in prison after he pleaded guilty Thursday morning (March 16) to molesting four boys as young as 9 years old in his Metairie apartments and to taking pornographic photographs of one child.

James L. Prince Jr., 45, known as “Coach Jim” to the youths he mentored at Girard Playground in Metairie, pleaded guilty to forcible rape, four counts of sexual battery of juveniles, four counts of indecent behavior with juveniles and nine counts of production of pornography involving juveniles under age 13.

He also would register as a sex offender for life, should he ever be released from prison. He is not be expected to be released from prison before he is 81 years old.

The plea, to which the victims and their families agreed, spares them the need to testify about the details of the abuse Prince meted out. However, two victims and a mother provided impact testimony on Thursday, telling the judge and Prince about the effects his abuse has had on them.

The crimes were reported on Oct. 15, 2015, by the mother of two of the victims after her sons disclosed the abuse beginning in 2002. Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives learned that Prince met the victims through Girard Playground, where he volunteered as a youth sports coach.

In accepting the plea, Judge Conn Regan of the 24th Judicial District Court sentenced Prince to 35 years for forcible rape, 35 years for each of the child pornography counts, 10 years for each of the sexual battery counts and seven years for each of the indecent behavior.

The sentences were run concurrently. Prince must serve the sentences at hard labor and without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.

Assistant District Attorneys Lynn Schiffman and Thomas Sanderson prosecuted the case.

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Former Destrehan teacher pleads guilty in Kenner student sex case

A former Destrehan High School teacher pleaded guilty on Monday to having an illegal sexual relationship with one of her students in her Kenner apartment that lasted almost one year.

Kimberly Naquin, 27, pleaded guilty as charged and without a plea agreement to carnal knowledge of a juvenile, a felony, and prohibited sexual contact between a teacher and a student, a misdemeanor.

In accepting the guilty pleas, Judge June Berry Darensburg of the 24th Judicial District Court, suspended a five-year prison sentence for the felony and ordered Naquin to serve five years of active probation. Judge Darensburg suspended a six-month jail sentence for the misdemeanor and ordered her to serve six months of inactive probation.

Naquin will have to register as a sex offender for 15 years, undergo a psychological evaluation and receive treatment if needed and have no contact whatsoever with the victim for one year, the judge ordered.

“I can guarantee you, if you violate any conditions of your probation, you will go to jail for five years,” Judge Darensburg told her.

Naquin was the victim’s world history teacher and sought the relationship with the minor student one week after her 16th birthday, keeping her at school after class hours, the victim told the judge in impact testimony. “I thought she was cool, because she paid special attention to me,” the victim testified.

The victim testified that Naquin cried after sexual encounters and said she’d go to jail and threatened to kill herself. The victim said that it was only after therapy that she learned she was manipulated by her teacher.

The St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office started the investigation in January 2016, after the victim’s mother learned of Naquin’s actions. The Kenner Police Department assumed the investigation after learning the illegal activities occurred in Naquin’s apartment on Loyola Drive. “Kimberly Naquin broke my child. She broke my family,” the victim’s mother testified.

The victim’s father testified his daughter’s psychological distress was “the result of the selfish predatory actions of the teacher.”

“School is supposed to be a safe place for children to mature and to learn, and this teacher has ruined that,” the father testified.

Naquin apologized to the victim and to the parents. “I betrayed your trust,” she told the parents.

Assistant District Attorney Joshua Vanderhooft prosecuted the case.

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Metairie man sentenced to life in prison in toddler’s beating death

A Metairie man was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday (March 2) for causing the death of his girlfriend’s toddler, Semaj Batiste.

Troy Kelly, 30, was convicted last month of second-degree murder for the Feb. 20, 2014 death of the 27-month-old boy. His death was caused by blunt-force traumatic injuries inflicted upon the toddler through numerous beatings in their apartment in the 300 block of North Laurel Street.

Forensic pathology evidence presented during the trial shows Semaj died within hours of receiving the injuries that included lacerations to the liver and spleen and broken ribs.

“The one burning question I have is why? What causes a man to beat an innocent child to death?” Semaj’s uncle Gary Bukaske asked in impact testimony. “What could an innocent toddler have done to deserve this treatment?”

Bukaske also said that Kelly will have the blessing of waking every morning still breathing. “Semaj took his last breath in agonizing pain,” he testified.

Life without the benefit of probation, parole or suspended sentence is the mandatory punishment for second-degree murder under Louisiana law. Judge Donnie Rowan of the 24th Judicial District Court sentenced Kelly after rejecting defense attorneys’ requests for a post-verdict judgment of acquittal and a new trial.

Kelly told the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office that he was bathing Semaj and two of his siblings when Semaj defecated in the tub. In rushing to remove the children from the bath, he said he may have flung Semaj into the toilet.

During the interrogation, Kelly was observed praying and saying to himself, “I’m sorry, Jesus. I’m so sorry.”

Assistant District Attorneys Andrew DeCoste and Lynn Schiffman prosecuted the case.

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Metairie man guilty of killing girlfriend’s toddler son

A Metairie man has been convicted of the second-degree murder of his girlfriend’s 27-month-old son, who died from blunt-force traumatic injuries caused by numerous beatings.

Troy Kelly, 30, faces a mandatory life sentence in prison for causing the death of Semaj Batiste on the evening of Feb. 20, 2014 or early the following morning in their apartment in the 300 block of North Laurel Street.

The autopsy, conducted by the Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office, revealed the toddler had suffered numerous injuries, including lacerations to the liver and spleen and broken ribs. The injuries were inflicted within hours of his death, and some were so severe that he likely would not have survived even had he received medical attention, according to the Coroner’s Office.

The pathologist’s findings contradicted Kelly’s assertions that Batiste received the injuries from a single event. When questioned by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, Kelly said he had bathed Batiste and two of his older siblings together the night before the death.

Kelly said Batiste defecated in the tub, and that three children were playing with the stool when he discovered what happened. He said he quickly pulled the children out of the tub, and in doing so he might have flung Semaj into the toilet.

Pressed by detectives who knew about the autopsy results, Kelly denied physically abusing the child. But prior to partially confessing, Kelly was observed praying and heard saying, “I’m sorry, Jesus. I’m so sorry.”

The toddler’s mother called 911 on the morning of Feb. 21, 2014, after discovering her son was not breathing. The night before, the mother said she had put her toddler and two of his older siblings to bed when she noticed he was not feeling well. Believing her son was getting sick, she gave him Tylenol.

A Jefferson Parish jury deliberated about two hours before returning with its verdict on Thursday afternoon (Feb. 16). Judge Donnie Rowan of the 24th Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence Kelly on March 2.

Assistant District Attorneys Andrew DeCoste and Lynn Schiffman prosecuted the case.

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Bridge City man sentenced to 60 years in prison for sexually abusing child

A Bridge City man was sentenced to 60 years in prison on Thursday (Feb. 9), for his conviction of sexually abusing a girl during a 5-year period.

Trevor Clifton, 37, also faces a lifetime of electronic monitoring by the state and sex-offender registration should he be released from prison, 24th Judicial District Judge E. Adrian Adams ordered in announcing the punishment.

A Jefferson Parish jury convicted Clifton as charged on Jan. 26 of sexual battery of a victim under age 13, and sexual battery. Sexual battery involving a child age 13 or under carries a punishment of 25 years to 99 years in prison.

For the former charge, Judge Adams handed down a 60-year sentence with the first 25 years to be served without benefit of probation, parole or suspended sentence. Judge Adams sentenced Clifton to the maximum 10 years for the latter charge. He ran the sentences concurrently.

The victim’s mother caught Clifton in the act of abusing the child on Oct. 2, 2015, when the victim was 14 years old. In impact testimony on Thursday, the woman told Judge Adams how Clifton’s actions adversely affected her and her daughter.

“Trevor Clifton showed no remorse for the horrible decisions he has made in his life,” the mother testified.

She added that with the sentencing hearing behind them, her daughter can grow into an intelligent woman. “Now she has a voice. I will not let this situation ruin her life.”

After she discovered the abuse, the mother called 911. Before the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office arrived, Clifton confessed to the mother that he abused the child only that one time, according to trial testimony.

Clifton brandished a knife and threatened to cut his own throat. But before deputies arrived, Clifton fled, triggering a two-day manhunt that ended with his arrest. Deputies tracked him to a woman’s home in Harvey. There, the deputies found Clifton hiding behind a refrigerator.

Authorities recovered a man’s DNA from the victim’s body, but the amount of genetic material was not enough for analysts to identify its donor. Meanwhile, through interviews, the victim disclosed Clifton had been abusing her since she was about 9 years old.

Assistant District Attorneys Matt Clauss and Josh Vanderhooft prosecuted the case.

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Former Terrytown resident convicted of raping girl on 10th birthday

A former Jefferson Parish resident faces spending the rest of his life in prison, for his conviction on Tuesday night (Feb. 7) of raping a girl on her 10th birthday five years ago.

Brian Banks, 52, was convicted as charged of the aggravated rape of the child in his West Bank apartment in February 2012. The victim, now age 14, is not being identified.

She testified that during a visit to his apartment in Terrytown, Banks ordered her to go to his bedroom, where he forced himself upon her. She recounted the abuse for a jury and to forensic interviewer Brittany Bergeron of the Jefferson Children’s Advocacy Center. “If you tell anybody, you’re going to hell,” the victim told Bergeron in repeating what Banks told her.

The victim testified that she was too embarrassed to report what happened, and she did not understand that she was raped until later in life, when she took sex education at her school. She said nothing about the rape for three years, until her mother, concerned about her daughter’s trouble in school, asked her to speak with a member of their church congregation who worked in the criminal justice field.

The crime still was not immediately reported. In April 2015, however, the victim and a classmate passed a note back and forth in class, in which they shared their stories of being sexually abused, according to testimony. Their teacher intercepted the note and alerted a school counselor, who in turn notified police.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office opened its investigation. The victim consistently recounted the crime to detectives, a doctor at Children’s Hospital in New Orleans, a forensic interviewer at the Jefferson Children’s Advocacy Center and to staff at the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office.

Banks lived in Houston, Texas, at the time he was arrested on July 7, 2015, as a result of the victim’s disclosure. In testimony, he denied raping the child. He asserted he was playing golf with a friend at the time the victim was raped, and in doing so, he contradicted a statement he made during a previous court proceeding.

The jury deliberated 2 ½ hours before reaching its unanimous decision. Life in prison is the mandatory punishment for aggravated rape under Louisiana law. Judge Nancy Miller of the 24th Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence Banks on Monday (Feb. 13).

Assistant District Attorneys Thomas Sanderson and Lindsay Truhe prosecuted the case.

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Bridge City man convicted of sexually abusing young girl

A Bridge City man was convicted Thursday night (Jan. 26) of sexually abusing a young girl over a period of five years, ending with her mother’s discovering his deeds when the victim was 14 years old.

Trevor Clifton, 37, faces 25 years to 99 years in prison for his conviction of two counts of sexual battery in connection with the abuse he meted out to the child with whom he was acquainted. The victim is not being identified.

The victim’s mother caught Clifton abusing her daughter on Oct. 2, 2015. After confessing to committing only one sexual act, he obtained a knife and threatened to cut his own throat.

The mother called the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office to report the crime, leading Clifton to flee with the knife. Deputies conducted a manhunt that involved searches by electronic means involving his cell phone and license plate recognition cameras.

Two days later, Detectives Donald Zanotelli and Gabe Faucetta tracked Clifton to a woman’s home in the 400 block of MacArthur Boulevard in Harvey.

The woman, with whom Clifton fathered a child and had an ongoing relationship, initially would not let deputies into her home. After gaining entry, the deputies found Clifton hiding behind a refrigerator, still holding a knife.

During the manhunt, detectives spoke with Clifton’s sister, who said her brother told her that the victim raped him and that the entire incident was a misunderstanding.

However, on the day the abuse was discovered, the victim was taken to Children’s Hospital in New Orleans. No sign of physical abuse was discovered, as is often the case in child sexual abuse cases.

But the child disclosed the abuse to hospital staff, and DNA belonging to a male was recovered from the victim’s genitals. While the donor’s gender was determined, the amount of genetic material was insufficient for DNA analysts to identify a specific person.

The victim initially only partially disclosed the extent of the abuse. Through interviews with JPSO Personal Violence Detective Kay Horne and to a forensic interviewer at the Jefferson Children’s Advocacy Center, the victim disclosed that Clifton began abusing her when she was about 9 years old and that Clifton threatened her to get her to submit to the acts. The jury heard expert testimony on how young sexual abuse victims delay in reporting the crimes.

Through his attorneys, Clifton denied the accusations. His attorneys argued that witnesses lied about the crimes, and that detectives were sloppy and rushed the investigation.

Judge E. Adrian Adams of the 24th Judicial District Court set Clifton’s sentencing hearing for Feb. 9.

Assistant District Attorneys Matt Clauss and Josh Vanderhooft prosecuted the case.

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Marrero man convicted of raping young girl, faces life in prison

A Marrero man will spend the rest of his life in prison for his conviction of raping an autistic young girl.

Timmy W. Doucet, 40, was convicted as charged by a Jefferson Parish jury on Thursday afternoon (Dec. 1) of one count of aggravated rape. He was charged with raping a girl here beginning when she was 8 years old.

Doucet is acquainted with the victim, whose identity is not being released. The victim, who is now age 13, disclosed the abuse to her mother in August 2015, years after the abuse ended.

The victim said that Doucet raped her at least once at a Marrero residence beginning in 2011, starting with an incident in which he forced her into a backyard shed to sexually abuse her.

The victim said that the rape hurt and caused her to cry out, so he held his hand over his mouth. Afterward, he threatened to beat her up if she told anyone. The victim also reported that Doucet raped her multiple times at a Mississippi location.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation, leading to Doucet’s indictment and conviction. Doucet also awaits his trial in Pearl River County, Miss., on charges of sexually abusing the girl.

The Jefferson Parish jury deliberated about four hours before returning with its verdict just after 4 p.m., on Thursday afternoon. Judge Nancy Miller of the 24th Judicial District Court, who presided over the three-day trial, is scheduled to sentence Doucet on Monday (Dec. 5).

Assistant District Attorneys Seth Shute and Rachel Africk prosecuted the case.

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