Man accused of child rape is HIV positive

Ashley Mott | The News Star

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A Monroe man accused of the rape and sexual assault of a three-year-old child is also HIV positive and facing a new charge of intentional exposure to the AIDS virus.

Police noted the complaint was separate from the original sexual assault investigation involving Levon Jennings, 25, conducted earlier in April.

After the complaint was filed, investigators obtained medical records from the Ouachita Parish Health Unit that indicated Jennings tested positive for the HIV virus in October 2013 and was notified about the results.

In October 2014, Jennings had a follow-up appointment where the HIV diagnosis was discussed, and the fact that Jennings had never been to a clinic for treatment was documented. Notes state that the importance of treatment for HIV and condom use was discussed.

On April 23, Jennings was interviewed at OCC and said he knew he was positive for chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis but denied knowledge of being HIV positive.

"Jennings recalled a specific conversation he had with the victim in the unrelated case and agreed to every detail, except that he mentioned to the victim that he was HIV positive," the report states. "Jennings said he couldn't remember if he was told he was HIV positive due to a previous head injury."

Rape investigation

On April 9, Jennings was charged with the first-degree rape and oral sexual battery of a 3-year-old.

The victim told her mom that Jennings did something "ugly" to her. She said Jennings told her that he had medicine to give her, according to the warrant.

A later medical examination revealed the possibility of sexual intercourse, the warrant states.

In an interview at the Children's Advocacy Center, the victim repeated her story and used a body diagram to describe the encounter.

Police later collected a blanket from the child's home for testing to determine if a substance found on it was semen or lotion.

Officers reported that the mother previously referred to a bottle of cocoa butter skin lotion as medicine, and a bottle of the lotion was in a bathroom in the home.

Bail was set at $600,000, and the suspect remains in custody. Bail on the new charge was set at $150,000.

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