Louisiana child molester to be castrated in plea deal after trying to rape 7-year-old

Per KPTV, 37-year-old Thomas Allen McCartney of Leesville, Louisiana pleaded guilty on Tuesday to attempted first-degree rape of a child under the age of 13. McCartney has also agreed to serve 40 years in state prison as part of the plea deal.

McCartney was arrested in 2023 after being caught sexually abusing a seven-year-old girl, authorities said. He had previously been deemed a Tier 3 sex offender in the state after a 2011 conviction for attempted aggravated rape. In 2006, he was arrested on one count of felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile, and again in 2010 for two counts of aggravated rape of a 12-year-old.

Vernon Parish District Attorney Terry Lambright said, "This is a horrific crime that never should have happened. Thomas McCartney is a predator that needs to locked away from others in our community."

Louisiana is the only state that allows surgical castration to be used as a punishment for sex crimes, the Daily Mail reported. The law came was implemented in August. The state has allowed chemical castrations for certain sex crimes since 2008. Those who refuse the procedure could face an addition three to five years in jail.

Per KPLC, McCartney was caught "engaging in sexual conduct" with the child by her mother in 2023 and a "disturbance involving a firearm ensued." McCartney left in a vehicle, and was later arrested in Harris County, Texas.