PAULINA — A St. James Parish man pleaded guilty to sexual battery of his girlfriend, authorities said, and now faces a pre-sentence investigation.

According to the 23 Judicial District Attorney’s Office, which covers St. James Parish, Gene Franklin, 32, of Paulina entered his guilty plea last week “minutes prior to the beginning of jury selection,”

Public Information Officer Tyler Cavalier said St. James Sheriff’s detectives were dispatched to a residence in reference to a sexual battery Nov. 2.

“Upon making contact with the victim, detectives learned that Gene Franklin, after making sexual advances toward his girlfriend and was denied, had inserted some type of object into the victim’s private area, causing damage to her body,” Cavalier said in a prepared release.

“The victim advised that she wanted to pursue charges as this was not the first time she was abused after refusing to have intercourse with Franklin. Franklin was subsequently arrested and booked into the St. James Parish Jail.”

Assistant District Attorneys Adam Koenig and Chuck Long prosecuted the case in front of Judge Tess Stromberg.

Upon entering a guilty plea to sexual battery, sentencing was deferred pending a Pre-Sentence Investigation, Cavalier said.