A former police officer was sentenced to 40 years in prison after being convicted of molesting a juvenile under the age of 13 in Acadia Parish, the 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said.
Damon Broussard, 45, was sentenced by 15th Judicial District Court Judge Marilyn Castle on Tuesday to 40 years in prison at hard labor, assistant district attorney Brian Langford said.
Per Louisiana law, at least 25 years of the sentence will be without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence.
Broussard is a former Crowley Police Department officer. He was first arrested in 2013 on counts of aggravated rape and molestation of a juvenile, for separate past instances where he abused a child under 15 and a child under 13. He was employed by the Lake Arthur Police Department at the time of his arrest, per a KPLC-TV report.
He was convicted following a jury trial in Crowley in November.
The molestation charge stemmed from Broussard’s abuse of an 8-year-old child. The victim, now an adult, and five other women who came forward to report being sexually abused by Broussard as children were present for his sentencing with their families Tuesday, Langford said.
The victim at the center of the case provided a victim impact statement in advance of the sentencing announcement; the other women were able to provide testimony during the trial as part of admissible evidence, the assistant district attorney said.
“I think they were relieved. They were happy. I think ultimately they were just glad that something happened and that some closure was brought to them, and that they know they weren’t forgotten. I think they’re kind of prepared to close this chapter in their lives and move forward,” Langford said.
The prosecutor said he felt similar relief being able to provide the women some closure.
Broussard still faces multiple charges of possession of child pornography tied to a spring 2018 arrest and other charges. He has been imprisoned at the Acadia Parish Jail since that 2018 arrest. Langford said the District Attorney’s Office is determining how best to move forward with the remaining charges.
Langford assumed control of the molestation case in January when he was hired by 15th Judicial District Attorney Don Landry. The case had languished for several years, for undetermined reasons, and Langford, co-counsel Burleigh Doga and the victim’s assistance coordinator Pam Fruge worked closely with the victims to revive the case, he said.
The prosecutor said Broussard was not on the job when the sexual abuse occurred, but he believes his position of authority as a police officer aided in his targeting of the victims.
