Jury convicts former Golden Meadow art teacher of sexually abusing 12-year-old student

A former Golden Meadow art teacher was found guilty of sexually abusing a 12-year-old student. He faces future charges from other 13-year-old students.

Ralph Cheramie Jr. was found guilty of molestation of a juvenile, indecent behavior with a juvenile under 13 and sexual battery of a victim under 13. He faces up to 25 years in prison on the first charge, between two and 25 years on the second and between 25 and 99 years on the third. Post trial motions are set for 9 a.m. July 18 in front of State District Court Judge Christopher Boudreaux. Prosecutor Jason Chatagnier and defense attorney Tracy Schwab also will discuss other pending sex abuse charges that Cheramie faces involving other teenage students.

Video footage of Cheramie's interview with a detective showed him describing himself as a rockstar, and performing sexual acts with a separate teenage student that he said was 16 at the time. The former student was a witness in the trial and contends that she was 13 when it occurred. During his closing arguments, Chatagnier reminded jurors of the moment.

"He admitted it, in his own words," Chatagnier said. "Where I'm from, in Schriever, we have a word for Cheramie and it's not rockstar - it's a pedophile."

Schwab argued that the majority of the evidence in the case was proof of what transpired between Cheramie and the witness, acts that Cheramie admitted to. He asked jurors to stay focused on what was actually proven to have happened between Cheramie and the alleged victim.

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"I have to remind you to please focus on [victim's name]," Schwab said. "I don't think the trial had to be this complicated."

It is the Houma Courier's policy not to name the victims of sex crimes; therefore the names of the victim and the witness who is an alleged victim are being withheld at this time.

The jury deliberated for just under an hour and returned a unanimous guilty verdict on all three counts. Cheramie placed his forehead on his hands and stared at the table as each of the motions were read off. The victim and the witness hugged tightly as they both cried.

This article originally appeared on The Courier: Jury convicts former Golden Meadow art teacher of sexually abusing student