A former Louisiana sheriff was told to "rot in hell" by a victim in court on the day he was sentenced to over four life sentences in prison after he was found guilty last year of several charges related to sexual abuse, rape and incest.
Jack Strain, former sheriff of St. Tammany Parish, was sentenced Tuesday, as childhood friend and abuse victim Mark Finn spoke for 30 minutes, calling Strain a predator and monster, according to WAFB-TV.
Strain was found guilty in November of four counts of aggravated rape, two counts of aggravated incest and one count each of sexual battery and indecent behavior with a juvenile. He was accused of abusing at least five victims who testified during his trial last fall who alleged decades of abuse and harassment from Strain before and during his career in law enforcement, including 20 years as sheriff of St. Tammany Parish.
"Look at me, are you sorry?" Finn asked Strain on Tuesday, according to WAFB. "If you're sorry, I'll forgive you. If not, I hope you rot in hell."
WAFB reported that Strain did not respond to Finn's outbursts and questions during the sentencing hearing.
Several of the victims testified that the abuse inflicted upon them when they were children or young men had lasting impacts on their lives including causing PTSD, night terrors and contributing to the causes of ongoing substance abuse problems.
Strain did not testify in his trial that saw over 25 witnesses, including five alleged victims, that were called by the prosecution to testify, according to WDSU-TV. His attorneys said after the sentencing that they plan to appeal, WAFB reported.
A counselor who worked with one of the victims in 2019 testified that the victim had one of the most severe cases of PTSD he had seen in his career, WDSU reported. The five accusers, including two identified as family members of Strain, testified that the age at which their abuse took place ranged from when they were children on camping trips with Strain to while one was a sophomore in high school when he said Strain touched him, among other ages and locations of the alleged abuse.
Family members of the accusers also testified about the negative effects the alleged abuse has had on the lives of the victims and their families.
Strain, 59, is also awaiting sentencing following a December guilty plea to one count of bribery involving federal funds stemming from allegations of corruption in a work release program for inmates that was privatized by Strain during his time as sheriff.
Federal investigators said interviews with one of the former inmates involved in the program led to an admission that the inmate was a former abuse victim of Strain, which opened the separate investigation into his alleged sex crimes, according to The Times-Picayune.
Update 2/22/22 3:22 p.m. EST: This story has been updated with additional information and context.
Specialists from the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) sexual assault hotline are available 24/7 via phone (1 (800) 656-4673) and online chat. Additional support from the group is also accessible via the mobile app.
