Man arrested on rape charge after 4-year-old child tests positive for STD

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A man accused of raping a child and spreading a sexually transmitted disease was arrested Monday.

Police said Anthony Jelks Jr., 25, turned himself in to authorities at BRPD Headquarters on Monday morning. He was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on a charge of first-degree rape.

According to an arrest warrant, officers with the Baton Rouge Police Department were called to an address in the 5400 block of Jackson Avenue on Aug. 7 about a report of sexual assault.

Two days before, BRPD officers responded to Our Lady of the Lake Hospital regarding a sexual assault report. Officers learned the victim was taken to the hospital after the complainant saw redness and irritation on the 4-year-old child’s body.

According to an affidavit, the child told the complainant that Jelks “pulled her pants down and got on top of her.” The complainant told investigators the victim was allowed to stay overnight at Jelks’ residence and dropped off on Aug. 1.

The child was taken to the hospital to be examined after the injuries were seen. According to police documents, the child tested positive for chlamydia.

While investigating Jelks, officers learned that he previously had an indecent behavior with juveniles charge in November 2022. He was accused of trying to solicit lewd videos and photos from a 9-year-old girl through Instagram.

An investigation is ongoing. BRPD encourages anyone with information about the rape case to contact the Special Victims Unit at 225-389-3853 and Crime Stoppers at 225-389-7867.

Latest News