Pearl River man gets probation in sexual abuse case

By Matthew Penix
St. Tammany News
Published on Monday, May 5, 2008 9:52 AM CDT

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A 31-year-old Pearl River man was sentenced to five years probation this week for sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl.

Irvin Cousin Jr. escaped a possible two- to 25-year sentence currently imposed under Louisiana law because the crime occurred before those penalties were adopted.

Under the former sentencing guidelines, Cousin’s guilty plea for indecent behavior with a juvenile stemming from the 2000 incident carries up to seven years in jail.

The girl, now 19, reported the incident to her mother in 2002, when she was 13.

Originally, the indecent behavior with a juvenile charge was upgraded to molestation of a juvenile by the District Attorney Walter Reed’s office, a charge that carries up to 15 years upon conviction. But to save the victim from testifying in open court, the family agreed to the plea deal, Reed spokesman Rick Wood said.

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Comments

6 comment(s)

R. Side wrote on May 14, 2008 1:33 PM:

" This young woman was robbed of her innocence by a piece of filth.

Now because of a criminal justice system that gives so many rights to offenders she has been robbed of justice because she does not want to have sit up in court and relive the trauma this so called man put her through.

I bet the folks at the ACLU are patting themselves on the back for this victory. "

Rick wrote on May 13, 2008 8:15 PM:

" Sex offenders are no different than your average drunk driver or shoplifter, how many times have they done it before they got caught and most will not stop once they are caught because of the lenient penalties imposed on them. "

Lewis wrote on May 12, 2008 11:34 AM:

" I think they should turn him over to the victim’s family and let them take of him however they see fit. This is a terrible thing for anybody to go through especially a child. "

.... wrote on May 8, 2008 12:21 AM:

" THIS GUY HAS 5 KIDS SO WHAT MAKES THE POLICE THINK HE NEVER DID THIS TO HIS OWN KIDS???? AND THEN HE IS NAMED AFTER HIS FATHER SO HE HAS SHAMED HIS WHOLE ENTIRE FAMILY WITH THIS SITUATION!!!! "

BETTY wrote on May 7, 2008 11:13 PM:

" WHEN WILL THEY STOP JUST SLAPPING MEN AND WOMEN ON THE HANDS WHEN THEY DO THINGS LIKE THIS TO OUR CHILDERN. I FEEL THE SHOULD BE PUT THROUGH OR KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TO GO THROUGH THE PAIN THAT THEY PUT PEOPLE THAT THEY ABUSE AND PUT THPOUGH DRAMA THE REST OF THEIR LIFE BECAUSE IT NEVER GOES AWAY.NEVER "

Christine wrote on May 7, 2008 8:21 AM:

" Our justice system at its finest! Lord knows that this guy will do this again to another innocent child. Once a sex offender always a sex offender!
They should've locked him up and thrown the key into the lake. "

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