BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - A panel of First Circuit appellate judges ruled a trial court judge abused their discretion when they ruled that members of the public could not be present in the courtroom for certain testimony in the criminal case against Melanie Curtain.

The panel of appellate judges said the court record lacked “substantial reason” explaining why members of the public should not be allowed in the courtroom.

At issue was testimony from an alleged victim, which implicates Curtain in a sexual abuse scandal involving ex-Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Dennis Perkins and his wife, Cynthia.

Dennis and Cynthia were arrested in 2019 after multiple alleged rapes, producing pornography, and serving baked goods tainted with bodily fluids to schoolchildren.

Dennis Perkins was ultim

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