KAPLAN - A Kaplan man was recently booked into the Vermilion Parish jail on 12 counts of sexual battery on a juvenile.

Kelly James Abshire, 49, remains in the parish jail as of Thursday. His total bond is $360,000.

He has a bond of $300,000 for 11 counts and $60,000 on another count.

According to court records, Abshire was arrested at the end of January on 12 counts of sexual battery of a female juvenile, who is in her early teens.

Asbshire’s address is 712 11th Street in Kaplan.

Sexual battery is the intentional touching of someone’s private parts, without the consent of the victim, or where the victim is under 15 years old.

The potential sentence for sexual battery is imprisonment with or without hard labor for not more than 10 years, without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence.

But where the victim is under the age of 13 years and the offender is 17 years or older, the imprisonment at hard labor shall be for not less than 25 years nor more than 99 years. And the 25 years is a mandatory minimum without benefit of suspension.

But where the victim is under the age of 13 years and the offender is 17 years or older, the imprisonment at hard labor shall be for not less than 25 years nor more than 99 years. And the 25 years is a mandatory minimum without benefit of suspension.