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Ascension Parish man arrested for rape pleads guilty to lesser charge, sentenced to 25 years
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SUNSHINE - A 42-year-old Ascension Parish man avoided a rape conviction by pleading guilty to a lesser charge of child molestation.
In 2022, Derrick Lodge was indicted for first-degree rape and two counts of molestation of a juvenile.
That summer, the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office received a complaint that Lodge was sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy. He was arrested and booked into the Ascension Parish Jail.
District Attorney Ricky Babin's office said last week that Lodge pleaded guilty to two counts of molestation of a juvenile under the age of 13.
The plea deal removed the rape charge, which imposes a mandatory life sentence in Louisiana. Instead, Lodge was sentenced to 25 years in prison, with credit for time served, and must register as a sex offender.
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