Pitkin man found guilty of sexual battery of a child

Published 5:53 pm Friday, January 30, 2026

A Beauregard Parish man was found guilty Friday of two counts of sexual battery of a child under 13 following a four-day trial in the 36th Judicial District Court.

After deliberating for about 30 minutes, the jury returned the guilty verdict against 39-year-old Lee Dougharty of Pitkin.

Sentencing by Judge Martha O’Neal will be scheduled at a later date.

Dougharty was first arrested by the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office in November 2024 and charged with molestation of a juvenile. One month later, he was arrested again in Vernon Parish and extradited to Beauregard Parish, where he received additional charges of first-degree rape of a child under the age of 13 and three counts of aggravated crime against nature.