COVINGTON, La. (WGNO) - A horse farm owner on the North Shore is accused of raping a mentally challenged woman who worked on his farm.
Now investigators are looking for other possible victims.
WGNO News Reporter Darian Trotter has the latest on the case and reaction from neighbors.
50-year old Vincent Datrio is accused of raping a mentally challenged woman who worked on his farm.
It's an allegation that doesn't sit right with neighbors.
"I think they should hang him, by the testicles might we say. Angry? Yes, that's terrible," Doris Perrilloux said.
St. Tammany Parish investigators say the suspect owns and operates Parkview Farms in Covington.
He has a program that allows mentally handicapped, and emotionally distressed individuals to use the facility and ride horses in exchange for them doing work around the farm.
Detectives started investigating after a complaint was filed late last month.
"After the incident, the victim in the case told a friend what had happened and the friend called us," St. Tammany Parish Spokesman Capt. George Bonnett said.
Investigators are now looking into the possibility that there could be other victims.
"If there are other victims we want to know about it."
"If he did it once, he'll do it twice," Perrilloux said.
"These were a number of individuals who volunteered at the farm and worked in the same capacity as our victim. So we just want to be sure that if there were other victims that we can reach out to them," Bonnett said.
Neighbors at a nearby store are disturbed that someone they know has been accused.
Trotter asked, "Never suspected he'd be accused of something like this? Not really, that's not what you think about when you look at somebody is that they're a child molester or a sick S.O.B," Perrilloux said.
Datrio is being held tonight in the St. Tammany parish jail on a 200-thousand dollars bond.
Anyone who thinks they may know a victim, or may be a victim is asked to call the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office (985) 809-8207.
