Louisiana Home Invasion Law

A.  Home invasion is the unauthorized entering of any inhabited dwelling, or other structure belonging to another and used in whole or in part as a home or place of abode by a person, where a person is present, with the intent to use force or violence upon the person of another or to vandalize, deface, or damage the property of another.

B.(1)  Except as provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, whoever commits the crime of home invasion shall be fined not more than five thousand dollars and shall be imprisoned at hard labor for not less than five nor more than twenty years; at least five years of the sentence imposed shall be served without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.

(2)  Whoever commits the crime of home invasion when, at the time of the unauthorized entering, there is present in the dwelling or structure any person who is under the age of twelve years, is sixty-five years of age or older, or who has a developmental disability as defined in R.S. 28:451.2, shall be fined not more than ten thousand dollars and shall be imprisoned at hard labor for not less than ten nor more than twenty-five years.  At least ten years of the sentence imposed shall be served without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.