FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 3, 2017
COVINGTON—District Attorney Warren Montgomery reports that Jack Conklin, 61, of Slidell, was sentenced to life in prison Thursday (Nov. 2) for the aggravated rape of a 6-year-old girl. District Judge August Hand also sentenced Conklin to 50 years in prison without the benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence for sexual battery of a victim under 13 and 50 years for production of pornography. All of the sentences are to be served at the same time.
In issuing the sentence, Hand called Conklin a “predator” and said this was the worst case of this type that he has seen in all of his years on the bench. A St. Tammany Parish jury convicted Conklin of the three charges Sept. 15 at the conclusion of a trial.
The victim was 6 years old when Conklin raped her and took explicit photos of her beginning in December 2012 through about 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 received 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, and they were able to seize cameras, computers, and other electronic equipment from Conklin’s home. The officers also 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. The officers also found binoculars and multiple computers and cameras, which were examined by the agency’s crime lab. Technicians recovered 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.