Shoeprints left at the scene of a sexual assault committed two months ago provided authorities with the evidence needed to charge a convicted sex offender with the attack, Lafourche Sheriff Craig Webre said.
Brian Lasage, 39, 1937 James Ortego Road, Mamou, is responsible for a pair of sexual assaults that happened four days apart in early January, both of them on East 37th Place in Cut Off.
Lasage, a convicted rapist, was charged Monday with sexual battery and aggravated burglary in connection with the Jan. 9 assault of a 24-year-old woman inside her home. He hasn't been formally charged for the Jan. 5 attack of a different 24-year-old woman because more physical evidence is needed, police said.
“This arrest takes a serious potential serial rapist off the streets of Lafourche,” Webre said.
Lasage's arrest should aid in the healing process for residents gripped by fear and anxiety since the attacks, residents and authorities said.
“This should help the public feel safer that the person who perpetrated these two incidents is behind bars,” said Judy Benitez, Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault's executive director.
Lasage, jailed since Jan. 10, is already charged for failing to register as a sex offender. The violation makes him ineligible for release on bond.
Lasage's sex-offender status stems from his 1991 conviction in Jennings for forcible rape. He served 15 years in prison for the crime. If a judge determines Lasage violated his probation, he would have to serve the remainder of his sentence, which lasts until 2021.Authorities identified Lasage as a “person of interest” in the south Lafourche assaults shortly after his initial arrest.
On Friday, sheriff's officials received written notification from the State Police Crime Lab in Baton Rouge that a footprint lifted from the site of the Jan. 9 attack matched shoes Lasage wore when arrested, Webre said.
Authorities still await the return of physical evidence from the first Jan. 5 assault.
That case is “tougher,” Webre said, because less physical evidence is available.
Authorities say they believe the two cases were committed by the same attacker because he:
n Called the women by their first names.
n Was armed with a knife.
n Concealed his face with an article of clothing.
Though Lasage knew his victim's names, detectives say it's unlikely they were acquainted. Authorities are still trying to determine how he gathered information about them.
Webre called Lasage a “classic sexual predator.”
Even though an arrest has been made, people should continue to take precautions, Benitez said.
Residents of East 37th Place interviewed for this story said they intend to heed that advice.
“We're going to keep our doors locked and our eyes open,” said a 27-year-old mother of two who asked that her name be withheld because of security concerns.
“We never had a problem with anyone coming down the street,” she said. “The kids could play outside. Now, I don't let them go out by themselves.”
"25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years"
.........Sarah Tofte
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