KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. — A Nitro man convicted of raping his five-year-old daughter two decades ago was arrested Friday for failing to register as a sex offender.
Joseph Lavigne Jr., 60, was convicted in February 1997 for incest with a minor, first-degree sexual assault and child abuse resulting in injury. The victim, Lavigne’s daughter, has said Lavigne did not commit such an act.
A Putnam County judge in 2013 granted him a new trial, and he was freed for almost a year and a half until the state Supreme Court overturned the order.
According to West Virginia State Police, Lavigne failed to register within three business days of his release from jail. He was supposed to register as a sex offender and for child abuse.