Suspended St. John Parish Judge Jeff Perilloux has entered not guilty pleas to three felony counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile and one misdemeanor count of sexual battery.
His next court appearance will be on Sept. 18.
Perilloux had little to say as he walked into a courthouse in LaPlace.
"Judge Perilloux has continued to maintain that he’s done nothing improper," his attorney, David Courcelle said after the hearing. "Accordingly, he entered a plea of not guilty today."
Perilloux, who is free on a $35,000 bond, claims he never did anything improper with the girls.
"He’s very confident that at the end of this case, he will be cleared of all charges," Courcelle said.
Judge Dennis Waldron reminded Perilloux to not contact any of the accusers or their families. But Waldron did grant Perilloux permission to attend a religious ceremony in September where one or more of his accusers might be present.
Last month, a parish grand jury handed up a multi-count indictment charging him with three felony counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile and one count of misdemeanor sexual battery.
The indictment accuses Perilloux, 51, of committing "lewd or lascivious" acts upon two girls in May and June 2017 and "intentionally" touching the breasts of another girl in December 2017.
The judge was released on a $35,000 bond after surrendering to police and being booked with the sex crimes.
After the indictment, Perilloux filed a joint motion with the state Judiciary Commission for "interim disqualification" from his judicial duties pending the outcome of the criminal charges.
Perilloux's fellow judges on the St. John Parish bench have recused themselves from this case. Waldron, a retired Orleans Parish judge, was appointed by the Louisiana Supreme Court to handle the arraignment.
Louisiana State Police conducted the investigation into the allegations. The case is being prosecuted by the State Attorney General's Office.
Perilloux has also been accused of sexual misconduct with one of the same girls, a 15-year-old, during a trip to Destin last July. That allegation was investigated and, so far, no charges have been filed in Florida.
Paul Murphy can be reached at pmurphy@wwltv.com.