Pearl River man found guilty in child sexual assault case

PEARL RIVER, La. (WGNO) — A Pearl River man has been convicted in a child sexual assault case.

The Office of District Attorney Collin Sims reported that 35-year-old Ryan Pellegrin was found guilty of attempted aggravated crime against nature involving a child under the age of 13 on Thursday, April 10.

Court documents state that an 11-year-old child was brought to a Bogalusa hospital by relatives in 2021 after saying that they had been sexually assaulted.

Investigators said the Pearl River Police Department was called after hospital employees learned that the alleged assault happened in Pearl River.

In a forensic interview, the victim told investigators that Pellegrin had threatened them with a gun if they told anyone about the sexual assault, which reportedly happened over a span of years.

Court documents state that Pellegrin also threatened to do the same thing to the victim’s friend if the victim told someone.

The district attorney’s office reported that the victim and their friend testified during the trial. Court documents state that the victim’s friend said that Pellegrin tried to inappropriately touch her once.

Pellegrin reportedly accused the victim of lying and claimed he wasn’t paying attention to what the victim said during the testimony when asked about the details described by the victim.

Pellegrin was convicted after hours of jury deliberation. His sentencing is set for April 23.

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