A convicted child predator in Louisiana has been sentenced to both surgical and chemical castration, in addition to 40 years in prison, after pleading guilty to the attempted rape of a 7-year-old girl, according to authorities.
The offender, Thomas Allen McCartney, 37, classified as a Tier 3 sex offender, accepted the punishment as part of a plea agreement following his 2023 arrest. The case stemmed from a disturbing incident in February 2023, when a mother discovered McCartney sexually assaulting her daughter. He brandished a firearm to escape and fled to Texas, where he was later captured at a Houston hotel and extradited back to Louisiana.
McCartney has a lengthy criminal history involving child sexual abuse. Court records show he was previously convicted of attempted aggravated rape, arrested in 2010 on two counts of aggravated rape of a 12-year-old, and charged in 2006 with felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile.
Vernon Parish District Attorney Terry Lambright said in a statement:
“Thomas McCartney is a predator that needs to be locked away from others in our community.”
The sentence marks one of the first applications of a controversial Louisiana law, signed by Gov. Jeff Landry in 2024, which allows judges to order surgical castration for individuals convicted of certain sex crimes against children. Proponents of the law argue it serves as a deterrent, while critics contend it constitutes cruel and unusual punishment under the U.S. Constitution.
Louisiana is currently the only state with legislation permitting surgical castration as part of sentencing for child sex crimes.
