HB65 pre-filed; raises min. jail sentence for home invaders

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Law enforcement officials say home invasions are on the rise all over the state. This has prompted a New Orleans legislator to pre-file House Bill 65, which raises the mandatory minimum jail sentence when a person is convicted of home invasion.

The home invasion in Ascension Parish is shocking in its brutality. New Orleans Representative Jared Brossett has pre-filed House Bill 65, which pushes the mandatory jail term from five to seven years. It also pumps the fine from $5,000 to $7,000.

"Home invasion; you would think that judges are gonna give stiff sentences anyway just because of the nature of the crime," said District Attorney Hillar Moore."And the elements that are required. Home invasion is a burglary when some finds somebody in the house so its live and that person intended to commit violence inside the home," he said.

Baton Rouge Senator Dan Claitor says there is more than one answer to curb home invasions; he says if Brossett's bill does make it to the upper chamber, he will amend it.

"We're not gonna legislate ourselves out of a problem," said Claitor. "Increasing the mandatory minimum I can understand, but from my point of view I would increase the cap instead of the minimum to give the judge some lee way."

Regardless, the Bill's author intends to move his home invasion legislation through the process.

"I wanted to send a message to people who are thinking about home invasion to, if they do so they gonna spend a long time in jail," said Brossett.

The legislative session starts March 10, 2012.