FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mandeville Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison For Sexually Assaulting Young Girl

August 12, 2024

District Attorney Collin Sims reports that on August 12, 2024, 49-year-old Colby Shane Maye of Mandeville was sentenced to 25 years in prison without the benefit of parole after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a young girl.  Assistant District Attorneys Amanda Gritten and Elizabeth Authement prosecuted the case.  Detective Katie Robbins headed the investigation for the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.  Judge Vincent Lobello accepted Maye’s guilty plea to charges of second degree rape and sexual battery and immediately sentenced him.  After he finishes serving his 25-year prison term, Maye will be required to register as a convicted sex offender for the remainder of his life.

In 2022, the then 16-year-old victim disclosed to a trusted adult that she had been sexually assaulted several years earlier.  The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office was notified and arranged a forensic interview of the victim.  During the ensuing interview, the victim stated the defendant had forced her to participate in various sex acts on multiple occasions over the course of several years.  The victim said the abuse stopped when she was approximately fourteen.  While conducting its investigation, law enforcement located the defendant at a local hospital where the defendant was attempting to admit himself.  The defendant was taken into custody and interviewed by detectives.  He denied the victim’s allegations.

The victim supported the terms of the defendant’s guilty plea but elected not to attend the court proceedings.  However, the girl’s mother was present in the courtroom and gave an emotional “victim impact statement” on behalf of her daughter.  She described how the defendant’s horrific acts had caused ongoing and long-term harm to her daughter.