The Louisiana Supreme Court has rejected a request by a Thibodaux man to reconsider his appeal of a conviction in 2018 for possessing child pornography and storing a large amount of marijuana in his home.
Donald Crochet, 55, of Pleasure Lane, was convicted of 50 counts of child pornography and one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
State District Judge Christopher Boudreaux of Thibodaux gave Crochet the mandatory minimum five years in prison on the child-porn charges and 10 years on the drug charge. The judge ordered Crochet to serve the sentences concurrently, or at the same time.
More:Court upholds Thibodaux man’s convictions
Crochet later appealed to the Louisiana 1st Circuit Court of Appeal in Baton Rouge, arguing there wasn’t enough evidence to support his conviction.
Crochet argued that the marijuana being stored in his attic belonged to someone else and that there were only 2 pounds rather than 23 police said they seized, according to court records.
The defendant asked the state Supreme Court to review his case after the 1st Circuit Court upheld his conviction. In a ruling March 9, the high court declined to review Crochet’s case.
Crochet filed an application for the court to reconsider but it rejected that his latest request on Sept. 27, court records show.
Also:Louisiana Supreme Court won’t review Thibodaux child porn case
Investigators first became suspicious of Crochet when they received a report about a stolen iPhone in 2015. Cellphone-tracking software led them to Crochet’s house, where he admitted he had marijuana inside his attic, prosecutors said.
The marijuana in Crochet’s home had a street value of $25,000 to $50,000, authorities said. After detectives received a warrant, they searched Crochet’s computer and found images of child pornography.
Crochet is serving his sentence in the Lafourche Parish jail.
— Staff Writer Dan Copp can be reached at 448-7639 or at dan.copp@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanVCopp.
