A Louisiana man convicted of raping a girl under 13 will be chemically castrated on top of his 35-year sentence, a judge ruled this week.
Ryan Clark, 34, was also ordered to have no contact with the victim, register for life as a sex offender and relinquish all his parental rights over any children, according to Tangipahoa County District Attorney Scott Perrilloux.
Clark, of Kentwood, pleaded guilty to second-degree rape, molesting a youth under the age of 13 and sexual assault on March 1.
He was sentenced Tuesday by Judge Brian Ables.
Chemical castration was legalized in Louisiana in 2008 to convict those found guilty of certain crimes, including molestation of a juvenile, aggravated rape, violent rape, second-degree sexual assault, aggravated incest, and felonies against nature, according to the WVUE.
The trial involves injections of medroxyprogesterone acetate — a drug that suppresses a man’s sex drive by lowering testosterone levels, the outlet reported.
The shots must be given at least a week before a convicted sex offender is released from prison.
An investigation into Clark began in July 2020 after the Tangipahoa Community Sheriff’s Office received a tip about “inappropriate conduct” between Clark and a minor from a person the victim confided in, according to prosecutors. The person told authorities the behavior has been going on for more than a year.
The victim was interviewed at the Children’s Advocacy Center in Hammond, where she detailed the incidents, Perrilloux said.
A possible second victim was also discovered during the investigation.
Further details of the incidents were not disclosed.
Clark was arrested on July 17, 2020 and charged with sexual assault and molestation of a youth. After further investigation, he was also charged with first-degree rape.
The convicted rapist was previously convicted in 2015 of misdemeanor carnal knowledge of a juvenile for receiving oral sex from a minor in a public place. He spent 128 days in the Tangipahoa Municipality Jail.
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