Former St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain faces more child rape charges in superseding indictment

COVINGTON, La. (WVUE) - Grand jurors in St. Tammany Parish issued a superseding indictment splitting up counts of aggravated rape against former Sheriff Jack Strain.

Prosecutors said Tuesday’s (Aug. 6) indictment breaks the first count of aggravated rape up into two counts based on date ranges and penalty provision associated with Strain’s age at the time of the alleged crimes.

The superseding indictment also includes the other charges in the original indictment, which include aggravated incest, indecent behavior with a juvenile, and sexual battery.

The eight alleged incidents happened between 1979 and 2004. In June’s indictment, Strain was accused of rape dating back to early 1975, when he was just 12 years old. However, that charge was not included in the new indictment.

Strain was born on Nov. 28, 1962.

A state police investigation was turned over to the district attorney’s office in January.

“In the fall of 2017, the Louisiana State Police, FBI, and IRS presented me with evidence that former St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain had engaged in sex crimes,” St. Tammany Parish District Attorney Warren Montgomery said. “Over the following 18 months, we conducted a joint investigation.”

A grand jury returned the original indictment on June 11.

If convicted of the crimes, Strain faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Strain served as sheriff of St. Tammany Parish for nearly 20 years until 2016.

He is currently out of jail on $400,000 bond with an arraignment set for Aug. 15.

Note: This story has been updated to correct Strain’s age.

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