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Publication date:
June 15, 2022 • 35 minutes ago • 2 minutes read • Join the conversation 
Cryta Abelseth claims she was raped when she was 16, she must now give up custody of her child and pay child support to her alleged attacker. Photo by SCREENGRAB /Sep
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Crysta Abelseth was just 16 when she was allegedly raped by a man who was driving her home from a local restaurant after a night out with her friends.
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Now Louisiana Judge Jeffrey Cashe has given the accused rapist custody of the child fathered in the alleged 2005 assault.
The judge also ordered Abelseth to pay the man child support.
“Instead of taking me home, he took me to his house,” Abelseth claimed to WBRZ of John Barnes, who is now 32. “Once inside, he raped me on his living room couch.”
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She became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter who is now a teenager.
DINNER IS WAITING AT HOME AND I HAVE TO GET FROM IT: Judge Jeffrey Cashe of Louisiana. HANDLEET
“Everyone assumed it (the pregnancy) was from a friend and I let them believe that,” Abelseth told the outlet.
About five years later, Barnes came back into her life when he discovered that Abelseth’s daughter could be his.
“When my daughter was five, he found out about her and when he found out about her he was suing for custody and wanted to take her away from me,” Abelseth said, adding that a DNA test proved he was the father be. “They gave him 50/50 custody even though (the child) was caused by rape.”
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She filed a rape complaint against Barnes in 2015 when she found the charges were within the state’s statute of limitations.
JOHN BARNES: Custody and child support, although it was statutory rape – at best. WBRZ
“I figured if I don’t do it the next day, there’s nothing I can do about it,” Abelseth said. “I went to a trauma counselor and he said, ‘No, you have 30 years after you turn 18.'”
The case is still open with the Tangipahoa Community Sheriff’s Office, and no charges have been filed, according to the news outlet.
“It was never assigned to a detective and nothing was ever investigated,” Abelseth said, adding that she allegedly lost custody of her daughter because she gave her a cell phone.
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Bizarrely, the court records related to the controversial case are being sealed.
“He’s well connected,” Abelseth told Barnes station, adding he works with local police.
“He’s threatened me multiple times and said he has ties to the justice system so I better be careful and he can take her anytime,” she claimed. “I didn’t believe him until it happened.”
Additionally, Abelseth was a minor at the time of the incident, meaning the alleged incident would qualify as statutory rape.
“It seems pretty straightforward that not only did a crime take place, but that person should not have custody of the child as a result of the crime,” claimed Sean Cassidy, an attorney for the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault.
bhunter@postmedia.com
@HunterTOSun
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