COVINGTON - A 61-year-old Slidell man has been sentenced to life in prison for the aggravated rape of a 6-year-old girl, sexual battery on someone under the age of 13 and production of pornography.
Jack Conklin of Slidell was given the sentence following a Sept. 15 conviction by a jury.
In handing down the sentence, Judge August Hand called the details of the crime "the worst case of this type he has seen in all of his years on the bench."
Between December 2012 and February 2013, Conklin, who was an associate of the girl's father, is said to have performed sex acts on the young girl and taken photographs that documented the activity.
Lisa Page, the communications director of the District Attorney's Office, said the crime came to light when a friend of the victim's family overheard the child telling another child that Conklin had wanted to marry her and had "kissed her like a woman."
The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office was notified, but the child did not disclose abuse at that time.
Later, the sheriff's office picked up Conklin after finding him taking photos outside of a neighbor's home. Conklin admitted to having marijuana on him and officers got a search warrant, which led them to seize several items from Conklin's home, which included a bag of panties belonging to a young girl, a bag of human hair and dozens of Chuck E. Cheese trading cards with children's faces on them.
Computers and cameras were also seized, according to the DA's office, and they revealed thousands of pornographic images, including photos and video of Conklin performing sex acts on the victim.