Controversial Bond Set for Accused Rapist

The man accused of raping a convenience store clerk was arrested and Judge Sharon Wilson set his bond at $70,000, but now, some are saying that bond is too low considering the suspects past record.

This is not James Domingue's first brush with the law, in fact, he was convicted of rape back in 2011 and was sentenced to only three years in prison by Judge Wilford Carter. Many believe that Judge Carter should have given Domingue more prison time for the 2011 crime. Since being released from prison after that short term, Domingue has been arrested on multiple occasions for failure to register as a sex offender.

Domingues latest arrest charges include forcible rape, kidnapping and false imprisonment. Just as many thought that Domingue's 3 year sentence was too light, many feel that the $70,000 bond was too lenient as well.

In his first conviction, Domingue could have received a sentence of up to 25 years and, of course, if he had received the maximum sentence he wouldn't have been out of prison yet.

Calcasieu Parish District Attorney, John DeRosier, pointed out that sentencing of criminals is up to the discretion of the judge who can set the sentence as low or high as they wish.

Even though Domingue has a probation and parole hold, DeRosier says his office will likely file a motion to increase the bond.

"We're going to use every effort to keep him in jail the rest of his life," said DeRosier.