Man arrested for aggravated rape of girl, 9

A 56-year-old Pierre Part man was charged Friday with the aggravated rape of a 9-year-old girl after Assumption Parish sheriff’s detectives learned that the man sexually assaulted the girl at his residence, Assumption Parish Sheriff Mike Waguespack said in a news release.
Brent T. Zeller, 56, of the 100 block of Oak Lake Street in Pierre Part, was arrested Friday for sexual battery and aggravated rape. His bail is set at $150,000 and he was jailed at the Assumption Parish Detention Center.
On Dec. 26, a grandfather of a 9-year-old girl filed a complaint of sexual battery with the Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office. Detective Capt. Darren Crochet initiated an investigation and a forensic interview was conducted at the Children’s Advocacy Center in Thibodaux.
Authorities learned through the interview that the suspect sexually assaulted the girl while she was visiting his residence, Waguespack said. When the girl returned to her grandparents’ home, they noticed she was visibly upset, and she told family members what had happened to her, Waguespack said.