LIVINGSTON PARISH - After years of inaction, a grand jury has indicted a Livingston Parish man accused of sex crimes against juveniles.

John Mack, 77, was formally charged Wednesday on three counts of aggravated first-degree rape, three counts of sexual battery and two counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile.

Mack, a relative of a state representative and a Livingston Parish councilman, was arrested in Jefferson Parish on sexual battery charges and has been held without bond in Livingston Parish. Mack's family members said they have not had contact with him in over a decade.

The guardian of the abused juvenile, LaToyia Porter, spoke with the WBRZ Investigative Unit in November. Porter said the child tried to get help for nearly a decade.

"It's a great failure," Porter said. "We failed her for more than a decade. The abuse that she went through, she should have never had to endure it for that long."

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump told WBRZ he planned to file a lawsuit against DCFS in December for their alleged failure to protect the victims. 

"It's documented. You can look at it, them screaming out for help. And continuously telling people that 'we're being abused.' Help us," Crump said.

An arraignment has been set for Feb. 16.