SLIDELL — A Denham Springs couple was among seven people arrested during a two-day undercover operation targeting online child predators, according to the Slidell Police Department.
Investigators with the Special Victims Unit Task Force posed as a 15-year-old girl on various online chat platforms. Over the course of the operation, multiple adults allegedly engaged in sexually explicit conversations with the undercover officer and made plans to meet in person to commit sexual acts.
Authorities said Brianna Rielo, 23, and Pablo Osorio, 25, both of Denham Springs, arrived in Slidell around 1:20 a.m. to pick up the “teen” with plans to take her back to Denham Springs. The couple allegedly sent explicit videos and photos and brought their two children, ages 3 and 6, with them during the attempted pickup.
Slidell Police Chief Daniel Seuzeneau called the situation “beyond sickening,” saying, “The fact that individuals continue to prey on children, some even bringing their own kids along for the ride, is beyond comprehension. Our department and partner agencies will continue to hunt these predators down and bring them to justice.”
In addition to Rielo and Osorio, those arrested included individuals from Texas, Covington, Slidell, and Abbeville. Charges among the suspects include indecent behavior with juveniles, computer-aided solicitation of a minor, and attempted possession or manufacture of child sexual abuse materials.
St. Tammany Parish District Attorney Collin Sims issued a warning to predators, stating that anyone attempting to exploit children will face a unified response from local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.
The undercover task force included officers from the Slidell Police Department, Covington Police Department, Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and Glen Carbon Police Department (Illinois), among others.
Officials reminded parents to stay vigilant by monitoring their children’s use of phones, computers, and gaming devices, and by maintaining open conversations about the risks of communicating with strangers online.
