On May 2, 2017, Lawrence Bordelon of 2168 Greenwood Dr. Laplace, LA., age 24, pled guilty to Cruelty to Juveniles. Bordelon was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Adam Koenig, and presiding over this matter was the Honorable Judge Thomas Kliebert. This guilty plea was the result of a plea agreement with prosecutors following a child abuse complaint. 

          On March 4, 2016, St. James Parish Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a local residence in reference to a child abuse complaint. Deputies met with the 5 year old victim’s father who advised that when the child returned to his residence from the child’s mother’s home, he observed several burn marks on the child’s legs. The child also sustained bruising to other portions of his body as well. During an extensive interview of the child, it was determined that the mother’s boyfriend burned the child with an electric heater on multiple occasions causing the burn marks. The bruises on the child were caused by the rough handling of the child. During the interview, the child identified his abuser as his mother’s boyfriend, Lawrence Bordelon. The juvenile told investigators that he was scared to tell because Bordelon threatened to whip him if he told anyone of the abuse. Bordelon was subsequently arrested and booked into the St. James Parish Jail. 

          Upon entering a guilty plea to the above mentioned charge, as per the plea agreement with prosecutors, Judge Kliebert ordered that Bordelon be committed to the Louisiana Department of Corrections for a total of 7 years with credit for time served. It was ordered that 5 years of the imposed sentence are to be served without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence, and the remaining 2 years of the said sentence are to be suspended. Upon release from incarceration, Bordelon is to be placed on 2 years supervised probation.