By Pat Culverhouse
Two Minden men have been taken into custody in connection with the sexual assault of a 14-year-old Monday in a swimming pool at a local apartment complex.
Minden Chief of Police Jared McIver said 23-year-old Ladorious Burks, who resides in the 300 block of Miller St., has been charged with second degree rape. He reportedly was arrested by MPD detectives early Friday at the residence, and is being held in Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center in lieu of $500,000 bond.
McIver said the second man, Dehkobe BeBose, 24, a resident of the 1400 block of Lewisville Rd., was booked as an accessory after the fact to second degree rape. He reportedly was apprehended early Friday and is being held on a $250,000 bond.
DeBose reportedly is being charged as an accessory for allegedly being at the scene of the attack and making no effort to prevent or stop it.
Det. Matthew Hicks was dispatched to the Chateau Normandy Apartments in response to a complaint of a sexual assault which reportedly took place in the complex’s swimming pool, McIver said.
Det. Hicks said the victim was taken by a parent to the local hospital where an examination confirmed a rape had occurred. The victim reportedly was interviewed later at the Gingerbread House in Shreveport where details of the assault and identification of assailants were confirmed.
Information from the Gingerbread House interview was critical to the ultimate arrests, the detectives said, since no security footage was available to show the attack.
“There are security cameras at the apartment complex where this occurred, but they do not record, and apparently no one was watching the cameras,” Det. Hicks said. “The people at Gingerbread House did a really good job in talking with this young person who had suffered such a traumatic event,” Det. Hicks said.
Armed with the names of the two suspects, detectives obtained warrants and made arrests.
“Using his knowledge and determination, Det. Hicks was able to bring this horrible incident to a quick conclusion,” said Lt. Jason Smith, head of the MPD Criminal Investigation Division. “He took the initial report and did all the right things, resulting in these arrests.”
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.