31-year-old Louisiana man accused of sex crimes

A Louisiana man, aged 31, has been arrested on allegations that he sexually assaulted a girl, aged 16. According to the arrest reports, the man allegedly gave the girl alcohol and possibly another substance before committing the sex crimes. According to the teen, she lost consciousness before she was assaulted due to the alcohol and other substances she ingested. She claims to have been assaulted on more than one occasion at the accused man’s home and after he had allegedly taken her to New Orleans.

The accused man in this case is the owner of a bar in Buras. He has been charged with sexual battery, contributing to juvenile delinquency and carnal knowledge of an underage girl. As of March 28, he was being held in custody with his bond set at $70,000.

According to the Plaquemines Sheriff’s Office, they obtained an arrest warrant for the man on March 19. However, they were unable to arrest him until they located him in Florida, where he was eventually taken into custody. He was then transported back to Louisiana, where he is being held in Belle Chasse.

This man will now have the opportunity to defend himself against the sex crimes allegations in court. In order to avoid the threat of spending time in jail, he will need to cast sufficient doubt upon the prosecution’s version of the facts. Depending upon the quality of the factual evidence that the prosecution offers against him, he may be able to get the charges dropped completely. Alternatively, he may choose to negotiate a plea-bargaining arrangement that is agreeable to both sides of this Louisiana criminal case.

Source: nola.com, “Buras bar owner arrested in sex assault of 16-year-old girl who says she lost consciousness”, Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, March 28, 2014