LIVINGSTON, La. — Thirteen people from across Louisiana and several other states were arrested as part of a multi-agency child exploitation investigation led by the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Jason Ard announced Tuesday.
Dubbed “Operation Safe Livingston Parish,” the undercover investigation targeted individuals using social media and online platforms to solicit or exploit minors. The effort was coordinated by the LPSO Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force with help from the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations, the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office, and law enforcement agencies in Ascension Parish, East Baton Rouge Parish, Covington, and Kenner.
“This was an investigation in collaboration with Chris Hansen,” Ard said, referring to the journalist and television personality known for his televised child predator stings. “Though 13 individuals were taken into custody in Livingston Parish, only two lived here. Six were from surrounding parishes and five were from other states. Learn from this: the internet has no boundaries. Child predators will go to any length to exploit children.”
Ashton Brignac, 27, Broussard, La. — Indecent behavior with a juvenile; computer-aided solicitation of a minor
Chad Romero, 44, New Iberia, La. — Indecent behavior with a juvenile; computer-aided solicitation of a minor
Devon Lamar Nealond, 20, Baton Rouge, La. — Indecent behavior with a juvenile; computer-aided solicitation of a minor
Hunter Easterling, 27, Denham Springs, La. — Indecent behavior with a juvenile; computer-aided solicitation of a minor
Jeramy Yarbrough, 43, Kingsland, Texas — Principal to indecent behavior with a juvenile; principal to computer-aided solicitation of a minor
Jeremy Britten, 41, Baton Rouge, La. — Indecent behavior with a juvenile; computer-aided solicitation of a minor
Jerry Watts, 51, Kingsland, Texas — Indecent behavior with a juvenile; computer-aided solicitation of a minor
Joe Bridges III, 29, Baton Rouge, La. — Indecent behavior with a juvenile; computer-aided solicitation of a minor
Lawrence Scott, 32, White Castle, La. — Indecent behavior with a juvenile; computer-aided solicitation of a minor
Mansoor Ahmed, 41, Oak Hill, W.Va. — Indecent behavior with a juvenile; computer-aided solicitation of a minor
Nikola Griffin, 23, Foxworth, Miss. — Indecent behavior with a juvenile; computer-aided solicitation of a minor
Sam Al Quhaif, 35, Picayune, Miss. — Indecent behavior with a juvenile; computer-aided solicitation of a minor
Tyler Daigle, 31, Denham Springs, La. — Indecent behavior with a juvenile; computer-aided solicitation of a minor
Ard said the work of LPSO’s ICAC Team earned commendation from Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill and drew the attention of Chris Hansen, whose reality crime series “Takedown with Chris Hansen” will feature the Livingston Parish operation on his streaming service TruBlu (WatchTruBlu.com).
The sheriff’s office shared several warnings about online child exploitation trends, noting that predators use more than 150 different apps, games, and websites to groom minors. Nearly half of grooming incidents occur on Meta-owned platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, while others are traced to Snapchat, YouTube, and gaming consoles.
Residents can learn more about online safety by requesting a free ICAC Task Force presentation for community groups by calling (225) 435-1365.
“The internet has no boundaries,” Ard said. “Parents, teachers, and young people need to stay alert—because child predators will go to any length to exploit children.”
