A Louisiana man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison and will be physically castrated after pleading guilty to raping a 14-year-old girl, District Attorney Scott Perrilloux announced.
On April 17, Glenn Sullivan Sr., 54, of Springfield, pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree rape.
On Monday, April 22, Judge William Dykes sentenced Sullivan to 50 years in prison and mandated him to be physically castrated, which was part of his plea agreement with prosecutors, Perrilloux said in the statement.
“I want to say I’ve had three people ordered to be chemically castrated but, to my knowledge, this is the first physical castration to be ordered,” Assistant District Attorney Brad Cascio, who prosecuted the case, said, WBRZ reports.
“I felt that this case was a strong enough case and warranted such action,” Cascio said in the statement.
He added: “Sex crimes against juveniles are the most malicious crimes we prosecute. I intend on using every tool the legislature is willing to give us, including physical castration, to seek justice for the children in our community.”
In July 2022, the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation after a young woman told detectives that Sullivan had raped her multiple times when she was 14, according to the statement.
The young teen later became pregnant “and a DNA test that was ordered during the course of the criminal investigation proved Sullivan had impregnated her,” the statement reads.
Detectives also learned that Sullivan had groomed the victim and used threats of violence against her and her family to prevent her from disclosing the rapes, according to the statement.
Men mandated by the courts to be castrated can choose chemical castration or the surgical removal of their testicles, which is what Sullivan chose.
District Attorney Perrilloux commended LPSO Detective Ryan Bernard, Cascio and the young victim for coming forward to file the charges.
“So many of these types of cases go unreported because of fear,” he said.
“The strength it must have taken for this young woman to tell the truth in the face of threats and adversity is truly incredible.”