ALEXANDRIA, La. (AP) - A state judge has sentenced an Elmer woman to 30 years at hard labor for sex crimes committed against two children.
Dorothy Jean Vanasselberg, 32, pleaded guilty to three counts each of sexual battery, aggravated incest, attempted aggravated rape and pornography with juveniles. All counts, excluding pornography with juveniles, are deemed acts of violence in Louisiana.
The Town Talk reports (https://townta.lk/ShgR1z ) District Judge John Davidson sentenced Vanasselberg Wednesday.
First Assistant District Attorney Harold Van Dyke III prosecuted the case, as well as the case of Kyle Smith Hauenstein, Vanasselberg’s co-defendant.
“Our case is based largely on her confession,” Van Dyke said. “It made me cry to read the file. What I tried to do was set a sentence they couldn’t refuse.”
His goal, Van Dyke said, was to send both Vanasselberg and Hauenstein to prison for as long as possible without going to trial and putting the children on the stand.
Hauenstein was sentenced May 7 to 35 years at hard labor as part of a plea agreement.
A grand jury indicted Vanasselberg on 53 counts of aggravated rape, 42 counts of sexual battery, 79 counts of aggravated incest, 48 counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile and 25 counts of pornography with juveniles.
Hauenstein was indicted on 355 counts of child pornography, 40 counts of sexual battery, 52 counts of indecent behavior, 25 counts of aggravated incest and 60 counts of attempted aggravated rape. He pleaded guilty to three counts each of aggravated rape, attempted sexual battery with a victim under age 13, aggravated incest and possession of pornography with juveniles.
“(This case) was probably the most charges anyone (in Rapides Parish) has ever been indicted on,” Van Dyke said. “There is no happy ending to this situation. The children will be around 40 years old when people get out of jail. Hopefully that’s plenty of time for the kids to heal.”
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Information from: Alexandria Daily Town Talk, https://www.thetowntalk.com
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