By Diane M. Moore
In 2021, the victim was interviewed by Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center at the request of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, where the victim stated that approximately six years earlier that they were sexually assaulted by then 19-year old Erin Nikkoli Desalvo.
According to the affidavit of complaint, the victim was living in the same home as Desalvo when the incident occurred in the month of October. The victim told investigators they remembered Desalvo picking them up and carrying them to a trailer located in the same yard as the main home where the victim was tied to a pole and Desalvo covered the victim’s mouth with his hand. The affidavit states Desalvo told the victim he would hurt them if they ever told anyone.
Desalvo was arrested and charged with sexual assault by person over 18 sexual battery victim under 12. Desalvo attended a pretrial conference on Feb. 20 in which his attorney, Amanda Kelley, advised the court that the previous psychiatrist could not complete the competency evaluation and would therefore need to hire a neuropsychiatrist to complete the evaluation.
Chief Circuit Judge Christopher Patterson set a new pretrial conference for April 17 with the understanding the findings would be returned by that time in order to move ahead in the case.
This is not Desalvo’s first time being charged with a sex crime. Back in 2014, he was charged with indecent exposure, trespassing and engaging in sexual contact with an animal.
Desalvo was found guilty of trespassing on a neighbor’s land where a passerby witnessed him with his pants down engaging in a sexual act with a goat.
WCSO found a clear green cable tied around the goat’s neck and a pair of green Crocs inside the goat’s pen. Desalvo received six months of probation on these charges. He is currently in the Washington County Jail where he has been since September 2021.
COLLIN BREAUX