A Boutte man who was arrested and charged with the rape of his former girlfriend has taken a plea deal for a lesser charge and will not receive a jail sentence.
Bart Bourg, 55, was accused in mid-March of raping his former girlfriend, and the mother of his child, after duct taping her arms and legs together.
The alleged victim called the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office and filed a police report the next day.Bourg was located four days later in Tangipahoa Parish and charged with forcible rape, false imprisonment and domestic abuse battery.
“The forcible rape and false imprisonment charges have been dismissed,” Bourg said.
Bourg said he was wrongfully accused of the crime and intended on taking it to trial, meanwhile he spent 126 days in custody at the Nelson Coleman Correctional Center.
“I had three different plea offers and I could have walked out a long time ago, but I am not taking a sex charge that I didn’t do,” he said.
According to Bourg, the incident and subsequent charges arose from problems within the relationship.
“That is the bad part about it because a relationship went sour,” he said.
Bourg ended up pleading guilty to a second-degree battery charge and received a five-year sentence, which was suspended, and three years of probation. In addition, he must undergo treatment for anger management and stay away from his victim and their child.
Bourg said now he is tasked with repairing his image in the community.
“You’ve got to start all over. Now I have to prove myself around here. They put you all over [the news] and it screws you up. You have to regroup and rebuild,” he said. “I am born and raised here. People know me.”
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