Convicted child rapist, Ryan Clark, to be chemically castrated in Louisiana

A Louisiana man convicted of raping a girl under the age of 13 will be chemically castrated in addition to serving 35 years in prison, a judge ruled this week.

Ryan Clark, 34, was also ordered to make no contact with the victim, register as a sex offender for life and forfeit all his parental rights to any children, according to Tangipahoa Parish District Attorney Scott Perrilloux.

Clark, of Kentwood, pleaded guilty to second-degree rape, molestation of a juvenile under 13, and sexual battery on March 1.

He was sentenced Tuesday by Judge Brian Ables.

Chemical castration was made legal in Louisiana in 2008 as a sentencing for those found guilty of certain crimes, including molestation of a juvenile, aggravated rape, forcible rape, second-degree sexual battery, aggravated incest, and aggravated crime against nature, according to WVUE.

The injections must be administered at least a week before a convicted sex offender is released from prison.

An investigation into Clark began in July 2020 after the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office was tipped off about “inappropriate behavior” between Clark and a minor by a person whom the victim had confided in, according to the DA. The person told authorities that the behavior had gone on for more than a year.

The victim was interviewed at the Children’s Advocacy Center in Hammond, where she detailed the incidents, Perrilloux said. Judge Brian Ables ruled that Clark must also register as a sex offender for life, never contact his victims, forfeit all parental rights, and submit to chemical castration upon his release.

Chemical castration involves regular injections of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), a drug that suppresses a man’s libido by reducing testosterone levels. The treatment will begin at least one week before his release from prison.

Tangipahoa Parish District Attorney Scott Perrilloux released a statement confirming that Clark’s guilty plea came just one day after a jury had been selected for his trial. He also revealed how Clark was caught, saying: “On July 16 of 2020, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office was notified of indecent behavior between Clark and a juvenile by a person the victim had confided in. The person also explained this behavior had taken place for more than a year.

As Perrilloux’s office details in the news release, Clark was arrested in July 2020 just one day after the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office “was notified of indecent behavior between Clark and a juvenile by a person the victim had confided in.”

The person who notified the sheriff’s department about the indecent behavior explained that Clark had been engaged in that behavior for more than a year, Perrilloux’s office says.

After that, the juvenile victim was interviewed at the “Children’s Advocacy Center,” where they were able to “detail the incidents,” according to the news release from the district attorney’s office.

Clark has a prior conviction of “Misdemeanor Carnal Knowledge of a Juvenile for receiving oral sex in a public place from a minor,” Perrilloux’s office adds. Clark was reportedly sentenced to 128 days in jail for that offense in 2015.

Chemical castration is a treatment sexual offenders can undergo that makes them “no longer motivated to commit sex offenses and is more amenable to psychotherapy that can enable him to reintegrate into the community,” according to the U.S Department of Justice’s (DOJ) virtual library.