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A former Louisiana deputy has been sentenced to 100 years in prison for a slew of horrific child sex crimes — including ejaculating on cupcakes that his wife fed to her junior high school students.
Dennis Perkins, 47, formerly with the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to rape, two counts of sexual battery of a child under 13, video voyeurism, and two counts of child pornography.
He was also charged with one count of mingling harmful substances after his wife, Cynthia Perkins, a teacher, put his semen into cupcakes that she gave to students at Livingston’s Westside Junior High School.
By pleading guilty, Perkins avoided a lengthy trial that would have forced young victims to testify and relive the traumatizing crimes. His trial was scheduled to start on Monday, where he would face 78 charges.
Dennis Perkins’ trial was delayed last year after the state dumped as many as 800,000 digital files it obtained and his lawyer requested additional time to review them.
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He will spend the rest of his life in prison, per his plea deal.
“He not only waived any right to appeal, probation, or parole and any attempt to avoid conviction, but Mr. Perkins also spared the victims from reliving his horrific crimes during trial,” said Attorney General Jeff Landry, whose office prosecuted the case.
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Perkins apologized to his victims and to the community he used to serve in court.
“I would like to say I’m sorry. I spent more than three years living in a box. It’s not about me. I just want to make the statement: Jesus Christ has forgiven me. I’m grateful for that. I hope and pray that anybody that this has affected would also find forgiveness and healing through Jesus Christ,” he said.
Prior to Perkins speaking, one woman provided a victim statement to the court. condemning Perkins’ “sick, deplorable actions.”
“You will no longer have control over your victims anymore,” she said. “I’m so thankful I don’t have to sit in this courtroom with you or your attorney again. Have a nice life in prison.”
Perkins, who had been with the Sheriff’s office since 2002, had been the commander of the agency’s SWAT unit. He and his wife, Cynthia Perkins, were indicted on 150 sex crime-related charges following their arrest in 2019.
She pleaded guilty to second-degree rape, production of child pornography and conspiracy to mix harmful substances in February 2022. As part of her plea deal, 68 of the 72 charges against her were dropped and she agreed to testify against Dennis had his trial moved forward.
She was sentenced to 41 years in prison.
Cynthia filed for divorce from her husband following their arrests and alleged that he had manipulated her into committing the crimes. She resigned from Westside Junior High School the day after her arrest.
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Perkins and his wife were busted in 2019 after authorities received a tip at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Investigators later uncovered a photo of them nude with a minor, police said.
A lawsuit filed against Dennis Perkins and the Livingston Parish School System claims that Cynthia Perkins filmed her husband supplying semen for the cupcakes that were later fed to children at Westside Junior High School.