A Louisiana man has been convicted of repeatedly inappropriately touching his girlfriend’s 8-year-old daughter.
On Friday, Lawrence Burt, 48, of Pearl River, was found guilty of indecent behavior with a juvenile under the age of 13, according to a press release from J. Collin Sims, the 22nd Judicial District Attorney.
The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence in March 2022 after the mother of the girl reported that her boyfriend had been touching her daughter inappropriately. Authorities took the child to the Children’s Advocacy Center’s Hope House in Covington for evaluation and an interview.
During the forensic interview conducted by Cally Huggins, the child revealed that Burt had repeatedly sneaked into her room and touched her inappropriately. She stated that she tried to lock him out of her room, but he would “fuss” at her when she did. The child felt too frightened to tell her mother, fearing that Burt would harm her family if she spoke up.
The child’s mother informed investigators that Burt often stayed up late watching pornography and playing video games. She also noticed that it appeared Burt had tampered with the lock on her daughter’s bedroom door.
Initially, law enforcement struggled to arrest Burt, as he had quit his job and left his residence. However, they later found him in an apartment complex in Slidell.
Despite Burt’s claims that the victim was lying, the jury found him guilty. He faces a potential sentence of two to twenty-five years in prison.
Burt has a history of sexual offenses, including previous convictions for abusing a 13-year-old girl, theft, and two counts of failing to register as a convicted sex offender, according to the DA’s release. He is scheduled to be sentenced in May.
[Feature Photo: DA Handout]
