On September 13, 2017, Derrick Hathorn of 116 Oak Ridge Ave. Donaldsonville, LA., age 33, pled guilty to the charge of Molestation of a Juvenile Under the Age of 13. Hathorn was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Larry Buquoi and Joni Buquoi. Presiding over this matter was the Honorable Judge Jason Verdigets. This guilty plea was the result of a last-minute plea agreement with prosecutors during Hathorn’s scheduled trial for a 2016 arrest. 

          On March 25, 2016, investigators with the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office closed an in-depth investigation by arresting and charging Derrick Hathorn on counts related to the sexual assault of a juvenile female. During the course of their investigation, investigators learned that Hathorn had been molesting the juvenile for over 3 years while she was between the ages of 4 and 7 under the control and supervision of Hathorn. A warrant of arrest was issued for Hathorn, and he was subsequently booked into the Ascension Parish Detention Center. 

          Upon entering a guilty plea to the above mentioned charge, as per the plea agreement with prosecutors, Judge Verdigets ordered that Hathorn be committed to the Louisiana Department of Corrections for a period of 25 years at hard labor with credit for time served. It was further ordered that the imposed sentence is to be served without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. Upon release from incarceration, Hathorn is to register and notify as a sex offender or child predator for life.