A New Orleans police sergeant was charged this week with three counts of rape and three counts of incest.
A St. Tammany Parish grand jury on Wednesday indicted the 51-year-old Slidell-area man. All three counts stemmed from alleged incidents with his two stepdaughters and his stepson, authorities said.
The Times-Picayune is withholding the man's name to protect the identity of his victims. Authorities would not disclose the age of the victims, but cases in which a victim is under the age of 13 fall under the state's definition of aggravated rape.
Investigators began looking into the allegations in December after one of the sergeant's stepchildren told a teacher about the alleged incident, according to St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain, who spoke to the press soon after the sergeant turned himself in on Jan. 15.
The sergeant, a 17-year veteran of the police force, was suspended on Jan 15 - the day of his arrest - but then was reinstated on Jan. 26 to administrative desk duty, where he is currently assigned, according to New Orleans Police Department spokesman Bob Young.
The NOPD's Public Integrity Bureau, which investigates police misconduct, has an ongoing investigation into the accusations, Young said.
The sergeant is expected to enter a plea of not guilty, according to Raymond Burkhart III, one of two private defense attorneys.
"The case is in its very early stages and we categorically deny the accusations being made," Burkhart said.
There is no indication the sergeant abused his position at NOPD to prey on others, Strain said.
The grand jury panel on Wednesday also indicted two other men on sex crimes.
Ryan Mitzell, 19, of Sun was charged with sexual battery for abusing a 7-year-old boy sometime between May 26 and June 1, 2008. The alleged abuse came to light after the victim, now 8, told a relative, who then told authorities, according to the district attorney's office.
In another case, a 20-year-old Covington man, was indicted with aggravated rape for allegedly abusing the five-year-old daughter of his girlfriend between July 20, 2006 and March 2, 2007.
Mississippi law enforcement officials uncovered the alleged abuse after investigating a separate alleged abuse of the victim's brother.
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http://blog.nola.com/tpnorthshore/2009/05/new_orleans_police_sergeant_ch.html
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