Mother arrested, accused of molesting daughter

GRETNA, La. (AP) - Authorities have arrested a Metairie mother accused of molesting her 5-year-old daughter.

Col. John Fortunato, a spokesman for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, says the 40-year-old woman was booked Friday with aggravated incest.

NOLA.com ’ The Times-Picayune (https://bit.ly/1hbKR7K ) is not naming the woman to protect her daughter’s identity.

Fortunato says the woman is accused of inappropriate sexual contact with the girl, who was 3 when the alleged abuse was first reported. Authorities began investigating in mid-2012 but the probe was complicated by the victim’s young age and her relationship to the suspect.

An arrest warrant was obtained Feb. 18. The woman is being held on a $50,000 bond at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna. It was not immediately known whether she has an attorney.

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Information from: The Times-Picayune, https://www.nola.com