Lafayette detectives arrested James Francis Mouton, 65, for one count of forcible rape. Mouton has an extensive criminal history and it was not the first time he has been accused of a sex crime. He was arrested in 1989 for indecent behavior with a juvenile, according to court records and plead guilty to that charge in September 1990, two months after the Lafayette rape, and was given two years of probation which was provoked in 1992.
Lafayette police say that Mouton gained unauthorized access to a residence in the 1100 block of Jefferson St. and forcibly raped a woman inside. Lafayette Police detectives performed an investigation and were able to collect evidence at the scene which they submitted to the crime lab. However, no arrests were made and the case remained unsolved - that is until November 19, 2008 when the Acadiana Crime Lab notified the Lafayette Police Department that a DNA hit was made on the case and Mouton was identified as the suspect.
After reopening the investigation, police began attempting to contact witnesses, checking evidence and locating the victim who had since moved to California.
She was scheduled to return to Louisiana in February 2009, which allowed investigators time to follow up on new information until she could be interviewed.
It seems that Mouton has had a rough couple of weeks. According to Officer Pat Benoit of the Crowley Police Department, Mouton was arrested two weeks ago for breaking into a building. As he made his escape attempt he jumped from the second floor, breaking his leg.
“This man has been a problem for us for a long time,” said Crowley Chief of Police K.P. Gibson. “He has been arrested numerous times for burglaries and breaking and entering and is a suspect in several other crimes. My heart goes out to the victim in Lafayette and what she endured but we can at least take some consolation in knowing that this man is off the street.”
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