On March 21st, Judge David Ritchie found Derrick J. Cotlong, 45, Lake
Charles, to be a second or subsequent Habitual Offender. In September of 2024, Cotlong was found guilty as charged on one (1) count Violation of a Protective Order-2nd Offense; and two (2) counts
Resisting an Officer with Force or Violence.
Judge David Ritchie sentenced Cotlong to four (4) years in prison on the
Violation of a Protective Order-2nd Offense charge; and six (6) years in prison on each of the two (2) counts of Resisting an Officer with Force or Violence. The sentences are to run
consecutively for a total of sixteen (16) years in prison.
In 2021, the victim in this case received a lifetime protective order
against Cotlong. The protective order stated that Cotlong was not to go within 100 yards of the victim, her school, or her residence. In 2023, Cotlong violated that protective order by driving to
the victim’s school in an attempt to see her. Once law enforcement officers arrived on scene, Cotlong became verbally aggressive and had to be detained.
Cotlong also pled Guilty as Charged to Simple Battery that is not
related to the above incident. Cotlong was sentenced to six (6) months in prison. This sentence is to run concurrent with the Habitual Offender sentence.
Assistant District Attorneys Jordan Sutterfield and Kadence Huber
prosecuted the case for the Calcasieu Parish District Attorney’s Office.