COVINGTON, La. — After a jury deliberated for four hours on February 28, a St. Tammany Parish man was found guilty of severe crimes involving a child. Mandeville resident Damien Chance White, 43, was convicted on charges including first degree rape of a child under thirteen and two counts of sexual battery of a child under the same age. The verdict concluded a rigorous five-day trial.
The prosecution team, led by Assistant District Attorneys Zachary Popovich from the Special Victims Unit and Le’Anne Malnar, presented a formidable case before Judge Alan Black. The trial incorporated testimonies from various witnesses including officials from the St. Tamany Parish Sheriff’s Office. Detective Katie Ragan, the lead detective, played a crucial role in gathering substantial evidence against White.
The case initiated from a disturbing revelation made by a pre-teen girl to her school counselor in fall 2021. She conveyed fears of returning home due to “inappropriate stuff” happening there and later disclosed her experiences of sexual assault. The school’s immediate response involved alerting the authorities, thus commencing an official investigation.
Forensic procedures included an intensive interview with the victim, conducted by Callie Huggins at the Hope House, part of the Children’s Advocacy Center in Covington. During the trial, the girl’s disturbing accounts of the incidents were recounted, mentioning that the assaults escalated from inappropriate touching to rape. Throughout this ordeal, White had insisted she not reveal these incidents to anyone, including her mother.
Evidence played against White also drew from his past. While he had been stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, serving in the Navy, he was caught in a sexual misdeed with a 14-year-old girl. This previous conduct was introduced during the trial to substantiate a pattern in White’s behavior concerning minors.
In the defensive argument, White’s attorney argued that the accusations were fabricated, influenced by the victim’s mother, and that the minor had been coached prior to her testimony. However, the prosecutor, ADA Popovich, countered these claims by emphasizing the genuine trauma displayed by the victim during her testimony and ridiculed the notion of her deceit, citing expert evaluations.
After the jury returned their guilty verdict, Judge Black immediately remanded White to custody. Sentencing is scheduled for March 31, 2025, with first degree rape charges mandating a life sentence, while sexual battery charges could lead to 25-99 years in prison.
The jurors, swayed by the weight of testimonies and forensic evidence, sided with the prosecution, highlighting the impact of the child’s courageous confrontation of her abuser in court. The community and legal observers have noted the trial as a significant moment of justice for the victim and a testament to the judiciary’s handling of sensitive cases involving children.
In the broader context, this case underlines the ongoing challenges and necessary vigilance in protecting vulnerable minors and ensuring perpetrators are rightfully prosecuted. The detailed and careful orchestration of the trial by the St. Tammany Parish legal system sets a precedential path for handling similar sensitive cases in the future.
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