ST. FRANCISVILLE — A West Feliciana Parish judge removed a “no contact” bond condition for a man accused of sexually abusing a juvenile, and later that same day, another judge awarded him temporary sole custody of three children. Now, the District Attorney is asking the court to reverse those decisions, calling the situation “mind-boggling” and “very scary.”
Jacob Mansell of St. Francisville was arrested in March 2026 on sexual battery and second-degree rape charges involving a juvenile. As part of his $195,000 bond, Mansell was initially ordered to have no contact with the victims. However, District Attorney Sam D’Aquilla says that condition was lifted through an email sent by Judge Sydney Picou Walker to the West Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Office.
The same day, Judge Kathryn Jones granted Mansell immediate sole custody of three juveniles in a civil case involving his ex-wife. This is temporary until a judgment hearing in June.
“Judge Jones would not have given the children back to my client had she thought that he posed danger to those children; Dr. Taylor would not have recommended that my client have sole custody had he thought that the children would be in danger with my client,” Mansell’s attorney Cy D’Aquila told UWK.
Now, District Attorney Sam D’Aquilla has filed a motion seeking to reinstate the original bond conditions and issue a restraining order as prosecutors prepare to present the case to a grand jury later this year.
D’Aquilla told UWK that he plans to bring the matter before a grand jury when the next one convenes in September. He said he will be pushing for Mansell to be indicted on first-degree rape, which carries a mandatory life sentence.
In a motion filed May 11 seeking to reinstate the original bond conditions and issue the restraining order, D’Aquilla wrote, “This Honorable Court via an email correspondence recalled the no contact bond condition citing a report by Dr. Allen [sic] Taylor. The report of Dr. Allen [sic] Taylor is not included in this criminal proceeding nor has a copy been provided to the District Attorney.”
Clinical psychologist Dr. Alan Taylor was appointed as a child custody evaluator in the civil matter involving Jacob Mansell and his ex-wife. Based on Dr. Taylor’s recommendations that Jacob Mansell act as the domiciliary parent for both school and medical visits, the judge lifted his bond conditions via email.
“Unless and until the parents can agree to work with a parenting coordinator, and provide evidence they can communicate and cooperate, the above recommendations should remain in effect,” the last portion of Taylor’s custody recommendations state.
“It’s very disturbing that the court would take the victim of a sexual abuse crime, a juvenile, a minor, and place that child back in the custody of the perpetrator,” D’Aquilla told UWK. “It’s not appropriate. They have statutes that say that once somebody’s billed by a bill of information or grand jury indictment, there should be no communication between the victim of a sexual assault case and a defendant.”
Mansell’s attorney Cy D’Aquila, responded to the district attorney’s filing: “My response to that is it’s discretionary with the court, and there’s no probable cause to hold this man under any bond obligation.”
“We have a problem with criminal allegations against a defendant, and the children being placed back in custody of the defendant. It’s just mind boggling and it’s very scary for me to know what the children, if the allegations are true, are thinking when they’re in the same home as the person who is alleged to have molested [the victim].”
Last week, Mansell pleaded not guilty to the sexual charges against him. During his arraignment, Mansell requested a bench trial, meaning the case would be decided by a judge rather than a jury.
Rebecca Harris, secretary for the Louisiana Dept. of Children and Family Services, gave the following statement to UWK regarding the situation:
I can confirm that DCFS has received report(s) related to members in the specific household.
I can confirm that DCFS did accept a report for investigation.
Download the Unfiltered with Kiran app from the Apple App Store and Google Play to stay updated on the latest news across the Capital area.
Support UWK and its mission to deliver The News You Deserve. Unfiltered. Become a monthly patron on Patreon today!
