A 32-year-old oilfield worker was indicted by a Terrebonne Parish grand jury on a criminal charge of assisting the May 14 suicide of his wife.

Prosecutors say Thursday's indictment of John Ahlf II was the first of its kind in the area.

Ahlf has denied helping his 36-year-old wife, Becky, kill herself, even though she suffered from constant pain caused by a rare form of arthritis.

State law describes assisting with a suicide as ``the intentional advising or encouraging of another person to commit suicide or the providing of the physical means or the knowledge of such means to another person for the purpose of enabling the other person to commit or attempt to commit suicide.''

Anyone convicted of the crime faces up to 10 years in prison.