FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 20, 2017
COVINGTON—District Attorney Warren Montgomery reports that a St. Tammany Parish jury found Jack Conklin, 61, of Slidell, guilty Friday (Sept. 15) of aggravated rape, sexual battery of a victim under 13, and production of pornography involving juveniles. Conklin faces mandatory life in prison when he is sentenced Nov. 2 by District Judge August Hand.
The victim was 6 years old when Conklin raped her and took explicit photos of her between December 2012 and February 2013. Conklin was an associate of the girl’s father, who occasionally left her in his care. The crime came to light when a friend of the family overheard the victim telling another child that Conklin wanted to marry her and had kissed her like she was a woman. The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated after being contacted by the girl’s father, but the child did not initially disclose any abuse.
Later, the Sheriff’s Office seized cameras, computers, and other electronic equipment from Conklin’s home after receiving a report that Conklin was acting suspiciously and taking photos outside a neighbor’s house in Slidell. During questioning, Conklin admitted having marijuana, which led officers to get a search warrant. The officers found a bag of panties belonging to a little girl, a bag of human hair, and dozens of Chuck E Cheese’s trading cards with children’s faces on them. They also found binoculars and multiple computers and cameras, which were examined by the agency’s crime lab. Technicians were able to recover more than 5,000 pornographic or erotic images of children and 2,000 such images of the victim, including some photos and a video of Conklin performing sexual acts on the child. In subsequent interviews, the victim disclosed that Conklin had done inappropriate things to her.
In June 2016, the District Attorney’s Office got information that pornographic images and videos involving juveniles were located on Conklin’s computer at work.
The victim, now 11, testified during the trial, which was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Jerry Smith and Holly McGinness. The jury voted 11 to 1 to convict Conklin on the aggravated rape charge and unanimously on the sexual battery and production of child pornography charges.