Two Slidell men booked after having sex with 12 and 14-year-old girls

One suspect could face death penalty

By Erik Sanzenbach
St. Tammany News
Published on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 4:16 PM CDT

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The St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office has arrested two men after they admitted to having sex with a 12-year-old and a 14-year old girl two weeks ago.

According to Capt. George Bonnett, Sheriff’s Office spokesman, Arturo Govea, 19, 827 Ashville St., Slidell has been charged with aggravated rape, and Elias Hernandez, 25, same address has been charged with carnal knowledge of a juvenile and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.

Deputies found out about the two men Oct. 10, when the father of three girls from the Pearl River area called the Sheriff’s Office to report that they were missing.

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Investigators discovered that a man, who was a friend of one of the sisters had taken all three girls over to his home on Ashville, where he lived with “numerous” other men including Govea and Hernandez, Bonnett said.

Detectives started questioning the men, and Govea admitted that he had had sex with the 12-year-old girl sometime between Oct. 10 and 11. After more questioning, detectives discovered that Hernandez had had sex with the 14-year-old girl during the same span of time. Bonnett said that the third sister was not involved in any sexual activity.

Both men were arrested. Both Govea and Hernandez are in the St. Tammany Jail. Govea is being held without bond, and Hernandez is held under a $50,000 bond.

Bonnett explained that Govea was charged with aggravated rape because the girl was under the age of 13, which makes it a capital offense, and if found guilty, Govea could face the death penalty.

Bonnett said that Detective Rabelais of the Slidell Police Department was also involved in the investigation.

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Comments

19 comment(s)

lel410 wrote on Nov 7, 2009 8:47 AM:

" Lucinda's comments are getting WAY too much attention. What a ridiculous woman. It's like discussing politics with cardboard. "

Lucinda wrote on Nov 5, 2009 6:27 PM:

" Clinton, my goodness. Think about this as if it is playing out today. A man rapes a child. The mother kills the man. She is arrested and goes to prison. The child now has no mother.

Do you really advocate that two adults choose to destroy this child's life? And one being her own mother? Consider a 12 year old who is suddenly motherless after having been raped. I have a 12 year old grandson. He would be bereft if he lost his mother. Her love is the best thing in his life. "

Ebyrdstarr wrote on Nov 5, 2009 11:19 AM:

" Clinton, the law may well technically remain on the books in Louisiana, but every district court in the country is absolutely bound by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Kennedy v. Louisiana. The defendant here cannot be sentenced to death.

Do you truly advocate a system where trial courts simply choose which Supreme Court precedent to follow and which to disregard? The result would be chaos and lawlessness. "

Clinton Billedeaux wrote on Nov 4, 2009 9:25 PM:

" Lucinda,

You should consider the fact that the state can pursue the death penalty because the laws are on the books for it. That Supreme Court decision just gives them a good chance of appeal.

And I don't see how wishing death on a child rapist could be backwards thought. I mean, kumbaya my ***. Child rapist. I mean those two words together just sound like something that should be inconceivable, yet here we are with two guys who have raped children. Raped children. Just typing the words make me feel icky. "

northshore985 wrote on Nov 3, 2009 5:08 PM:

" Do these men speak English? "

Lucinda wrote on Nov 3, 2009 4:10 PM:

" As for the death penalty being possible, read the url listed below. The Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, said you cannot execute anybody for a crime where no death occurred. Louisiana wanted to execute a man for a rape and they were NOT ALLOWED TO DO IT because of that ruling. Some Louisianians need to stop being so dense about things. It's really amazing when a law officer doesn't even know about that ruling. Stop making our state look so stupid, please. "

Lucinda wrote on Nov 3, 2009 4:07 PM:

" I raised two girls and one gr'daughter. They're good kids and were loved and watched after. I don't think any child should have to go through what they went through.

And I don't believe it when you say you'd kill the man. That is too silly for words. Imagine a child is put through this trauma by this jerk and then her mother kills him and goes to prison for the rest of the girl's childhood.

People need to think through what they're saying. "

Gwen wrote on Nov 3, 2009 12:18 PM:

" I think that they should face stiff penalties but, I dont think the death penalty is the way to go,MY question is where was the moms of these children because like it or not they are still children. And fyi Louisiana law does stipulate that any sex with a child under 13 by a person over 18 will be put to death ( in the most extreme cases) I dont think this one will qualify though. As for the 14 y/o she knew exactly what was going down. "

lel410 wrote on Nov 3, 2009 9:52 AM:

" Lucinda, you just don't have a clue. Your ridiculous comments only serve to imply that "she asked for it" and should just get over it... for her own good of course. Maybe you'd like this child rapist to sit in a circle with you and your kids, holding hands and singing songs of forgiveness - out of concern for the children's "emotional well being," but if it was my child, the courts wouldn't need to bother scheduling a hearing for him. "

Valerie wrote on Nov 3, 2009 7:39 AM:

" Lucinda,
The girl is TWELVE years old. These are grown men!!!!!! If it was my daughter I would kill him myself and we wouldn't have to wait for a court decision...I mean that! "

Sharon wrote on Nov 1, 2009 5:01 PM:

" Are these guys, these alleged CHILD RAPISTS, illegal aliens because it sure sounds that way! "

Ebyrdstarr wrote on Oct 30, 2009 2:05 PM:

" I guess the Sheriff's Office is unfamiliar with the US Supreme Court's June 2008 decision in Kennedy v. Louisiana. No one is getting the death penalty for this case. "

Im curious. wrote on Oct 30, 2009 12:52 PM:

" Why do they believe that a death penalty is even possible for rape?

According to this site:
deathpenaltyinfo.org/death-penalty-offenses-other-murder

...the Supreme Court ruling says that you can't execute anyone for a crime that did not result in the death of the victim. "

Lucinda wrote on Oct 29, 2009 7:37 PM:

" I know she can't legally consent. I'm all for that law. I said, speaking for the child's emotional well-being, she KNOWS she agreed to have sex with him. What would it do to her if she had to live the rest of her life knowing she helped put a man to death for agreeing to do that?

Yes, the law says her consent is not legal. That's a good law. But it does not mean that she did not agree to do it.

Fact: We begin making decisions and paying for them at a very early age. "

C Casey wrote on Oct 29, 2009 1:53 PM:

" The story does not say if these two men are U. S. citizens. Are they? "

lel410 wrote on Oct 29, 2009 10:03 AM:

" Regarding the comment from "Lucinda," a 12 year old does not have the capacity to "consent." She is a child, a minor in the eyes of the law. Should she have been in a house full of men? No. But should she have been subjected to the depravity of those adult men? Absolutely not! Just because he may not have held her down and beat her up, doesn't mean she wasn't forced. Grown man versus a 12 year old? He certainly knew what HE was doing, didn't he? "

WTF wrote on Oct 28, 2009 10:12 PM:

" I didn't know that a twelve year old could consent????? "

Lucinda wrote on Oct 28, 2009 8:52 PM:

" These men are despicable but if I were on a jury I could not agree to the death penalty for sex with a 12 year old that was not forcible sex.

Imagine that young girl living the rest of her life knowing that a man had been put to death because she had agreed to have sex with him.

The trauma of that knowledge would far outweigh any trauma from the sex. "

PRDAD wrote on Oct 28, 2009 5:57 PM:

" Fry their foreign @$$e$ "

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