COVINGTON -- A Lacombe man who repeatedly raped a young girl over the course of several years was sentenced to 99 years in prison, the maximum sentence allowed for sexual battery of a victim under 13.
According to District Attorney Warren Montgomery's office, 64-year-old James Matthew Cole sexually abused a girl for several years, starting when she was 9 or 10-years-old.
The victim told authorities that she pleaded with Cole to stop touching her and he agreed to "if she would do something sexual for him once a month," a statement from the DA's office read. In September of 2015, he began raping her.
Authorities say the victim, who now lives out of state, told her mother, who contacted police.
During the trial, three other victims came forward, testifying that Cole abused them 30 years ago.
Assistant District Attorney Casey Dieck, who prosecuted the case, read a statement from the mother of the victim about the impact of the crime on her daughter's life.
"She has had anxiety attacks, nightmares, and has even resorted to cutting, and suicidal thoughts,” the mother’s statement said. “We take her to counseling every Monday to help her cope with what you did to her… You have ultimately changed all of our lives because of what you did.”
District Judge Scott Gardner sentenced Cole to 99 years in prison for sexual battery of a victim under the age of 13, as well as 40 years for second degree rape and 40 years of molestation of a juvenile. All of the sentences will be served concurrently.
