VERMILION PARISH, LA. (KLFY) - A Vermilion Parish jury convicted Scott Keith Broussard of eight sex crimes, and for intimidating a witness and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The jury unanimously found Broussard guilty of two counts of First Degree Rape, Molestation of a Juvenile, three counts of Indecent behavior with a juvenile, Sexual Battery, and Attempted Second Degree Rape. Broussard had been convicted of Indecent Behavior with a Juvenile in 2010 and was a Registered Sex Offender. Broussard was arrested by Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies, shortly after the investigation was completed in September 2023.
The jury heard evidence from a Gueydan High School counselor who made the initial report to law enforcement in August of 2023 and the evidence showed that the suspect had molested the victim and others over a seven-year period. Detective Lon Hargrave testified about his investigation of the complaints, and how the victim met with a forensic interviewer at Hearts of Hope in Lafayette and told her what had happened. Two juvenile victims also testified, as well as their mother.
The defendant testified to the jury, and claimed only that his 2010 Indecent Behavior with a Juvenile plea had been a no contest plea, yet the plea documents and minutes showed he had pled guilty and had registered as a sex offender. When asked by prosecutor Calvin Woodruff why the boys would lie about the allegations, he had no answer.
District Attorney Don Landry noted that in cases like this, with victims hesitant to report due to death threats or other threats, the victims’ courage led to justice in the case, and the removal of a dangerous sex offender from the community. “We are satisfied with the verdict, and looking forward to the sentencing hearing in this case, where this defendant will finally begin to see justice for what he did to these young juveniles,” said Landry.
District Judge Thomas Frederick set sentencing for March 13, 2025, with a potential sentence of up to forty years at hard labor provided by Louisiana law. Broussard faces sentences mandatory life sentences without the benefit of parole on the two First Degree Rapes, 25-99 years on the Molestation of a Juvenile, along with shorter sentence ranges on the attempted Indecent Behavior with a Juvenile and attempted Second Degree Rape convictions.
