DERIDDER—Judge Kerry Anderson of the 36th Judicial District Court sentenced Terrell J. Menard, Jr.  to 35 years in prison for aggravated incest and attempted aggravated rape.

Menard, 35, entered a plea agreement with the State of Louisiana through Assistant District Attorney Jimmy Lestage.

A sentence of 35 years for each count was handed down by the court to run concurrently.

According to court documents the criminal acts were committed in June 2009.

Aggravated incest is the engaging in prohibited sexual acts with a person who is under eighteen years of age and who is known to the offender to be related to the offender as any of the following: biological, step, or adoptive relatives: child, grandchild of any degree, brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, uncle, aunt, nephew, or niece.

Menard was originally charged with aggravated rape, but that charge was down-graded to attempted aggravated rape as a condition of the plea agreement.

Lestage recommended the court impose a sentence of 35 years for the felonies committed by Menard.

Menard was taken into the custody of the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office immediately despite his plea to start his sentence on Monday.

He is to serve his sentence without the benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.

In other court news, cases that remain unresolved on Friday are scheduled for trial on February 17 and will continue the entire week.