A 71-year-old man named Harvey J. Fountain has been arrested with multiple rape charges in Lousiana, United States. He was arrested on 50 counts of first-degree rape on April 9. Three days later, he was charged with 50 more counts.
The crimes began in the early 1970s and continued for a decade, according to Lt. Stephen Phillips of the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana. All of the assaults happened in Pineville, La., and involved children under 13.
Harvey J. Fountain has now been charged in those assaults.
According to Phillips, the decades-old accusations came to light April 1, when one of the victims disclosed the abuse to local authorities. The individual also informed police that there were other possible victims.
“One victim came forward and was aware of others that may have been a victim of Fountain’s,” Phillips told The Washington Post.
“After additional interviews, additional victims were located,” Phillips said, though he would not say how many. “And, we still have more to interview.”
Under Louisiana law, if the complainant is under 13, any type of intercourse — oral, anal or vaginal — constitutes first-degree rape; there is no statute of limitations for the offense in Louisiana.
As of Friday last week, Fountain was charged with 100 counts that involved more than one victim and occurred on various dates.
Phillips confirmed that Fountain was known to the alleged victims but would not discuss the specifics of an ongoing investigation.
Fountain is being held in Rapides Parish on $1 million bond, according to the local records office. A grand jury date has not yet been set.
