Ex-deputy’s sexual intercourse crimes demo delayed after law firm suggests Attorney Typical withheld proof | Crime/Law enforcement

Attorneys for a former sheriff’s deputy charged with dozens of sex crimes on Tuesday accused prosecutors of hiding evidence in the sort of hundreds of electronic documents seized from the man’s house, with just days to go until finally his demo was established to start off.

But prosecutors from Legal professional Standard Jeff Landry’s business office mentioned defense lawyer Jarrett Ambeau’s accusations are just an additional stall tactic for a demo that has previously been punted at the time.

“He has waited right up until the eve of trial, regardless of obtaining all this chance and obtain, to now say he does not have time,” Assistant Legal professional Basic Christopher Walters told decide Erika Sledge.

Sledge eventually ruled in favor of Dennis Perkins’ attorneys. She requested the Attorney General’s workplace to hand more than countless numbers of files that experienced not previously been turned around and set his trial to commence in Oct.

Perkins’ jury choice was earlier slated to begin upcoming Monday.

At the time a commander in the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office SWAT device, Perkins was billed in 2019 with dozens of youngster sexual intercourse crimes following agents from the Louisiana Department of Justice opened a sweeping youngster porn probe into him and his then-wife.

Because then, his demo — which prosecutors say will hinge on hundreds of incriminating video clips and pictures seized from Perkins’ household — has hit several snags. It was initially scheduled to get started final summertime but was delayed virtually a 12 months at Ambeau’s ask for so the Baton Rouge attorney could manage yet another trial.

The previous deputy appeared in courtroom Tuesday clad in an orange jumpsuit. He sat quietly, at times leaning in excess of to confer with Ambeau as the hearing went on.

For the duration of the five-and-a-50 %-hour listening to, agents from the Louisiana Section of Justice said they seized two difficult drives with wide quantities of shots and video clips on them. Between them are 2,600 shots and much more than 300 films that comprise “99% of our proof” towards Perkins, Assistant Lawyer Normal Barry Milligan claimed.

But Ambeau said he must be capable to see tens of thousands much more data files that have been on all those seized drives, but which prosecutors never turned about to him. 

“That’s my client’s stuff,” he mentioned in court docket. “You seized it, and you have to give it back again to me.”

Prosecutors and Ambeau disagreed in excess of no matter if some of the material the law firm had requested for was “contraband” — documents that maintain delicate material and weren’t deemed appropriate evidence and as a result failed to need to have to be divulged.

Sledge mentioned there wouldn’t be “any meaningful way” for the protection to assessment that proof by Monday, when Perkins’ trial was set to start off. She predicted the demo would choose at the very least two months.

“I know that for the victims and individuals in the group who have been pursuing this situation, this is a demo that we want to get at the rear of us,” Sledge stated. “But I have to make a determination less than the regulation.”

Dennis and Cynthia Perkins’ situation stunned Livingston Parish when news of the couple’s prices broke in 2019.

Jointly, the few faced a total of 150 felony expenses which includes rape, youngster pornography, sexual battery of a youngster and video clip voyeurism stemming from a sweeping 2019 boy or girl pornography probe.

But Cynthia Perkins later struck a offer with prosecutors in the Louisiana Legal professional General’s Workplace, pleading responsible in February to 1 depend each individual of generating child pornography, second diploma rape and mingling harmful substances. The latter cost claimed Cynthia applied Dennis Perkins’ bodily fluids to taint pastries she afterwards served to students at Westside Junior Significant University.

She was offered 41-12 months sentence agreed upon in plea negotiations, her lawyers claimed at the time. And as portion of the deal, Cynthia would be necessary to testify against her ex-spouse.