Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Tit. XVII, Art. 572. Limitation of prosecution of noncapital offenses

(1) Six years, for a felony necessarily punishable by imprisonment at hard labor.

(2) Four years, for a felony not necessarily punishable by imprisonment at hard labor.

(3) Two years, for a misdemeanor punishable by a fine, or imprisonment, or both.

(4) Six months, for a misdemeanor punishable only by a fine or forfeiture.

B. (1) Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 571.1 and Paragraph A of this Article, prosecutions for any sex offense may be commenced beyond the time limitations set forth in this Title if the identity of the offender is established after the expiration of such time limitation through the use of a DNA profile.

(2) A prosecution under the exception provided by this Paragraph shall be commenced within three years from the date on which the identity of the suspect is established by DNA testing.

(3) For purposes of this Article, “DNA” means deoxyribonucleic acid, which is located in cells and provides an individual's personal genetic blue print and which encodes genetic information that is the basis of human heredity and forensic identification.

(4) This Paragraph shall have retroactive application to crimes committed prior to June 20, 2003.