Club Owner Convicted In 2009 Rape

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The former owner of the defunct House of Blues Club in Baton Rouge was convicted Friday of raping an intoxicated 18-year-old woman in a private room at the club in 2009.

The Advocate reports (http://bit.ly/NN9msh ) state District Judge Mike Erwin, who presided over the week-long bench trial, said he will sentence Leonard Ray Douglas, 50, on Dec. 6.

Simple rape, for which Douglas was tried and found guilty, carries a sentence of up to 25 years in prison.

Prosecutor Sue Bernie told Erwin in closing argument that the victim was highly intoxicated when she was raped on July 29, 2009. She was not in any condition to consent, Bernie said.

Chris Alexander, an attorney for Douglas, said the verdict will be appealed.

___

Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com