Man gets 20 years for incest conviction

Published on Friday, September 3, 2010 12:23 AM CDT

Print this story | Email this story | Post A Comment |

District Judge Peter Garcia sentenced a Madisonville man to 20 years in jail Tuesday after hearing a statement from the person he sexually abused.

Jessie Shelton, 44, pleaded guilty as charged on Aug. 16 to aggravated incest.

He was arrested in March by the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office after the female victim reported that he had abused her over a period of years starting when she was a minor and ending when she was 18 years old.

Rick Wood, spokesman for District Attorney Walter Reed, said the victim told authorities that she delayed reporting the abuse because she feared retaliation from Shelton.

In a compelling victim impact statement read this week before the sentencing, she stated that she has “moved from victim to survivor.”

Several family members accompanied her to the sentencing.

Garcia suspended one year of Shelton’s 20-year sentence but required him to serve five years of probation after he is released from jail.

Twenty years is the maximum sentence a person can receive for the crime of aggravated incest.

Garcia further prohibited Shelton from having any contact with the victim.

Print this story | Email this story | Post A Comment |

Comments

No comments posted.

WRITE A COMMENT

Use the form below to post a brief comment to this story, or respond to other readers. Please use the word count tool to assist you in keeping your remarks to 100 words or fewer.

Comment posters are responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. All readers comments must be approved by our staff before posting to the Web site. They review submitted comments periodically during the day for offensive or off-topic content before posting. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act and provisions upheld in judicial appeal, that you are responsible for comments posted on this Web site. The St. Tammany News is not liable for messages from third parties.

DO NOT POST:
* Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults or threats.
* The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity.
* Comments unrelated to the story.
* Personal Information (phone numbers, addresses, etc.)

Opinions, advice and all other information expressed in thesttammanynews.com's reader comments represent the individual's own views and not necessarily those of the St. Tammany News. The St. Tammany News does not endorse and is not responsible for statements, advice or opinions offered by anyone other than authorized St. Tammany News spokespersons.

Your thoughtful contribution to the online discussion is appreciated.