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13-year-old tests positive for HIV after rape, suspect arrested
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BATON ROUGE - A 17-year-old was arrested Tuesday night, accused of raping a 13-year-old girl two months ago.
All of this came to light after she tested positive for HIV, as she sought help from the attack. Justin Posey turned himself in to investigators late last night. tonight, he's facing rape and armed robbery charges for two separate incidents. Arrest records show the victim picked the suspect out of a photo line up.
It allegedly happened at a home on Midway Avenue. Arrest records show Posey held the girl down and raped her, but music was too loud in the house for her to call out for help. When the victim sought help for suicidal thoughts, HIV was detected in a routine blood test.
"If he got it that's where he got it from," Justin Posey's grandmother said. "The girl who is accusing him of whatever."
Justin Posey's grandmother is having trouble believing what her grandson is accused of. She said he lived with her.
"It's making me upset and mad because I don't think he did it," Posey said.
At the Children's Advocacy Center off Government Street, workers there said they helped the 13-year-old.
"This case that you are talking about, there are pre-existing things going on," Toni Bankston, Clinical Director of the CAC said. "There are other potential mood disorders going on in addition to having trauma. Our focus here is working with the trauma."
Bankston said her organization has helped victims for the past 13 years. She believes more needs to be done to make sure the child is rehabilitated. She had this message for other victims out there.
"There's hope," Bankston said. "You're not alone. You're not damaged and can transform the experience of trauma into healing."
As Posey's family wonders why the victim didn't come forward for two months after the alleged incident, those at the Children's Advocacy Center said it's not unusual.
Arrest records show after the alleged encounter, Posey asked for more sex through a social networking site. He's currently being held on a $400,000 bond. If convicted he faces up to life in prison, but could receive a lesser sentence due to his age.
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