Barton to get new trial

CROWLEY - Lance Barton, who was convicted and sentenced to life sentence following his conviction on multiple sex charges involving a 10-year-old girl, now has won the right to a new trial.

Following an appeal to the Third Circuit Court, it was determined that the prior judgement was reversed due to some exculpatory evidence that was not presented to the defense during the trial.

The trial was set to begin June 10, however, it was delayed until a date that has yet to be determined.

A spokesman for the district attorney’s office said that they are very confident that a new trial will yield the same result.

“I will admit it’s frustrating,” she said during a telephone interview Thursday morning. “However, we will present the same evidence we did in the prior trial and we have no doubt that the result will be the same.”

Barton has a record of sex crimes that dates back to 1984 when he was convicted of crimes against nature in Alexandria. Five years later in Livingston Parish, he was convicted of oral sexual battery.

The charges in Crowley involve a 10-year-old girl. The girl, who was 15 when Barton’s most recent trial was taking place, bravely took the witness stand to testify against Barton.

A letter that was sent to the district attorney’s office by a cellmate of Barton’s told of how Barton graphically described in detail his assault on the 10-year-old child. It also states that Barton actually laughed at the District Attorney during the Due to the nature of the crime, the Post-Signal will not run any of the inmate’s letter. However, it should be noted that the man who sent the letter to the district attorney’s office never received any deals from prosecutors and said that he was sending the information he received because “he was a father and did not want Barton to be able to hurt any more children.” The letter goes on to say that the inmate considered a “menace to society” and that he “strongly believes he definitely would commit these crimes again.”

The Post-Signal will provide coverage of the upcoming Barton trial when it does begin.