A conservative Louisiana judge has ordered a pedophile convicted of raping a juvenile to undergo chemical castration and spend the rest of his adult life in prison.
Judge Brian K. Abels ordered Ryan Clark to serve 35 years in prison with the first 25 years to be served without the possibility of parole, register as a sex offender for life, forfeit all parental rights, never contact his victims, and submit to chemical castration before release.
“34-year-old Ryan Clark pleaded guilty to the four felony charges earlier this month, on March 1, the morning after the jury was selected. He pleaded before and was sentenced by the Honorable Brian K. Abels with Assistant District Attorney Alexis Taylor as prosecutor,” said Tangipahoa Parish District Attorney Scott Perrilloux.
The investigation into Clark’s crime began on July 16, 2020, when the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office was notified of indecent behavior between Clark and a juvenile. The victim had confided in a person who reported the crime to the authorities. The juvenile was interviewed at the Children’s Advocacy Center in Hammond, and a second victim was also discovered.
Clark was indicted by a grand jury on February 12, 2021, for First-Degree Rape when the victim is under 13, two counts of Molestation of a Juvenile and Sexual Battery. On the first day of March of this year, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of Second-Degree Rape when the victim is prevented from resisting due to force or threats, two counts of Molestation of a Juvenile- under 13 and Sexual Battery. Clark also has a prior conviction of Misdemeanor Carnal Knowledge of a Juvenile for receiving oral sex in a public place from a minor, for which he was sentenced to 128 days in the parish jail in 2015.
It remains to be seen how Clark will respond to the order of chemical castration, but the judge’s decision has sent a clear message that child sexual abuse will not be tolerated in Louisiana.