The arrests involved serious charges, including rape and animal sex abuse.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said that 67 registered sex offenders were arrested in one of the biggest child predator stings in the state’s history.
The month-long operation, called Operation Access Denied, focused on catching offenders who were breaking the law and exploiting children online.
The effort was led by the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation and the Louisiana Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, working with more than 30 law enforcement agencies across North Louisiana. Agents used state databases and the sex offender registry to track down offenders committing new crimes against kids.
The arrests involved serious charges, including first-degree rape, online solicitation of minors, indecent behavior with a child, possession of child sexual abuse material, and sexual abuse of an animal. Attorney General Murrill said additional crimes were discovered during the arrests.
Murrill credited the growth of the ICAC Task Force for the operation’s success. When she took office in January 2024, the task force had only eight partner agencies. Today, that number has jumped to more than 70.
This year alone, the task force has made 516 arrests, identified 82 new child victims, and rescued 64 children from ongoing abuse, all while acting on nearly 27,000 online tips.
“This is one of the largest operations conducted in the State of Louisiana targeting registered sex offenders in violation of Louisiana law. This just goes to show that with our current partnerships in the Louisiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, there won’t be one place to hide across the State if you’re looking to harm our children. We will leave no stone unturned in doing everything we possibly can to protect the children of Louisiana. Thank you to our Louisiana Bureau of Investigation agents and all our partner agencies for a spectacular job well done. Because of the tremendous success in this operation, we are now looking to bring similar operations to other parts of the State soon,” Murrill said.
