A former Louisiana deputy received a 100-year sentence this week after pleading guilty to multiple sex crimes including sexual battery of a child and second-degree rape.
Per regional outlet WAFB, Dennis Perkins—who was initially set to stand trial later this month—will not be eligible for appeal or parole after entering the plea during a court appearance on Tuesday. Initially, per Law and Crime, a 2019 indictment against Perkins showed that he alone was facing 75 counts in connection with a string of shocking offenses. With this week’s plea deal, however, many of those counts were dropped.
Perkins’s deal is reported to have seen him pleading guilty to the following charges: second-degree rape, sexual battery of a child under the age of 18, sexual battery of a child under the age of 13, video voyeurism, production of child pornography, and mingling of harmful substances. He was previously employed as a deputy with the Livingston Paris Sheriff’s Office.
The latter count, mingling of harmful substances, was described in the original indictment as stemming from instances in 2018 and 2019 in which Perkins “[ejaculated] on various pastries and into bottles of energy drinks which were subsequently ingested by unsuspecting victims.”
In February of last year, Perkins’ now-former wife, Cynthia, was sentenced in connection with several of the same charges, including rape and mingling of harmful substances. At the time, she also agreed to testify against Dennis. According to reports at the time, Cynthia’s own plea agreement stipulated that she was admitting to having served tainted dessert items to children. Previously, Cynthia had been employed as a teacher.
In a statement, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said the conviction of Dennis Perkins on Tuesday was “in the best interest” of his victims.
“Criminals must be punished for their crimes, and victims must be supported,” Landry said. “Today, my office sent a loud message to predators lurking: if you harm children, you will receive the justice you deserve.”
