Internet crimes are taken very seriously in Louisiana, and police officers increasingly use tricky methods to gather evidence and charge people with crimes. Many of the defendants in these cases never would have imagined facing the charges leveled against them, and any Louisiana resident accused of an Internet crime will need help from a criminal defense attorney who is fluent in the relevant laws.
These matters are likely on the minds of two East Baton Rouge men who were the subjects of separate police investigations in which officers posed as underage girls on the Internet. Both men are charged with computer-aided solicitation of a minor and indecent behavior with a juvenile, and one of the suspects faces an additional charge of pornography involving juveniles.
To gather evidence against one of the suspects, who is 64, police used the Internet to pose as a 14-year-old girl claiming to live in East Baton Rouge Parish. Authorities say the man sent sexual video and messages to the supposed teenager, and police claim to be able to identify the suspect in the video. Whether that is true could remain a matter to be decided in court.
The other suspect, 45, was allegedly tricked into thinking he was communicating via the Internet with a 13-year-old girl in East Baton Rouge Parish. He is also accused of sending video and messages that were sexually explicit. Here, again, the police say they can identify the suspect in the video.
A search warrant was issued for each of the men’s homes, and a search of the 45-year-old’s residence allegedly turned up child pornography, hence his additional charge.
These cases illustrate the time and effort Louisiana authorities are willing to put into the prosecution of Internet crimes. Baton Rouge residents who confronted with such charges need to be fully aware of their rights.
Source: Baton Rouge Today, “EBRSO Arrests Two Men for Computer-Aided Solicitation of Minors,” Sept. 26, 2012