Sex exposure brings
offender a 3-year term

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By Debra Barayuga
dbarayuga@starbulletin.com

A man convicted of masturbating more than 10 years ago in front of a Roosevelt High School student who was on the way to school was sentenced to three years in prison for doing the same to two other girls in March 1999.

In granting the state's request for consecutive sentencing, Circuit Judge Karen Ahn agreed with the contention that John Guidry is a danger to society and that probation has not worked, considering his history.

Don Wilkerson, attorney for Guidry, had argued for probation. "What he needs is more supervision and treatment."

Guidry completed a sex offender treatment program in March this year, Wilkerson noted. But a therapist who treated Guidry wrote the court that without continued supervision he is likely to re-offend.

Guidry said that while he has not made the right choices in his life, during the past two years he has "been living the way I'm supposed to be."

But Deputy Prosecutor Scott Bell opposed probation, citing Guidry's sexual offense history, including an arrest on June 27 for fourth-degree sexual assault, just days before he was to be sentenced.

"He's simply a danger to society -- that while awaiting sentencing, he was re-offending," Bell said.

In the March 1999 case, a Roosevelt senior was walking to school when Guidry exposed himself and masturbated in front of her. Two weeks later, the same girl and a classmate were walking the same route when Guidry again dropped his pants while standing six feet away. He was arrested a month later.

He underwent two trials, one for failure to update the sexual offender registry with his current address, and was convicted in August 1999. He was convicted of the remaining three counts of misdemeanor fourth-degree sexual assault in April and has indicated he will appeal.

Guidry previously was sentenced to six months' probation in a January 1990 case where he exposed himself and masturbated in front of another Roosevelt student. He was convicted for what was then called indecent exposure.

In the fall of 1990, he was charged with sexually assaulting and kidnapping a woman he met at a bar. He pleaded to the lesser charge of second-degree sexual assault in 1992 and was again placed on probation.

Although he was no longer on probation when he committed the March 1999 offenses, Guidry was still considered a convicted sex offender and required to maintain current addresses in the state registry.