3rd arrest made in rape case

A 46-year-old Morgan City woman arrested Tuesday for accessory after the fact to the aggravated rape of a 16-year-old girl is the third arrest in a St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office investigation that began April 16, St. Mary Parish Sheriff Mark Hebert said in a news release.
Medina Billiot, 46, of the 1300 block of Nebraska Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 12:46 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant for accessory after the fact to aggravated rape and unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling. The warrant stems from an April 16 investigation into the rape of a 16-year-old juvenile girl.
Atlas White, 22, of the 1300 block of Oil Tank Alley in Morgan City, was arrested April 24 for aggravated rape and unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling in connection with the incident.
A detective discovered that Billiot was in communication with White while he was actively fleeing authorities, Hebert said. Billiot was aware of the warrant for White’s arrest at the time the communication occurred, Hebert said.
A detective made contact with Billiot regarding the warrant for her arrest. Billiot turned herself in at the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office in Morgan City. Billiot was released on $5,000 bail.
On April 16, the sheriff’s office received information from a hospital regarding a possible rape victim who was being treated in the emergency room.
Criminal investigation detectives determined that the 16-year-old female victim was beaten and raped the previous night at a residence in Amelia, Hebert said. Detectives identified White, a person the victim knew, as the suspect in the crime, the sheriff said. White is also accused of entering the home without permission.
Another arrest had been made in the case May 5 when Christa N. Yarbrough, 27, of the 3600 block of Lake Palourde Road in Amelia, was charged on a warrant for obstruction of justice.
Yarbrough claimed to know nothing of the crime, Hebert said. Detectives later discovered several communications indicating that Yarbrough purposefully denied having any knowledge of the crime, the sheriff said.