LOUISIANA
American Press
By Johnathan Manning / American Press
Defense attorneys for a former Calcasieu priest accused of sex crimes have asked a judge to rule that evidence of allegations of other crimes not be entered into evidence during trial.
Mark Anthony Broussard is to stand trial Sept. 21 on allegations that he molested and raped boys while serving as a parish priest between 1986 and 1991. He is facing five sex charges, including two counts of aggravated rape.
Broussard was indicted on 224 counts of sexual abuse, but the charges were amended first to 10 counts then to five counts after it was found that the statute of limitations had expired on five of the charges.
Defense attorneys Tom and Dan Lorenzi have filed two motions, one asking Judge David Ritchie to order that mention of the other five counts be impermissible and another asking that certain parts of Broussard’s interview with Calcasieu sheriff’s detectives be redacted.
“(Broussard) has no prior criminal history and the introduction of these alleged ‘other crimes’ will serve no purpose other than to prejudice the jurors into attaching a nationally perpetuated stigma onto defendant,” reads one motion.
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