A Ruston man has been charged with eighteen counts of carnal knowledge of a juvenile.
Brye Stephen Edwards was arrested Friday by the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office. Bail was set at $90,000.
LPSO spokesman Lt. Matt Henderson said the office received a report that Edwards was allegedly involved in a relationship with a female juvenile. An investigation of that relationship led to the felony charges.
According to Louisiana law, felony carnal knowledge occurs when the victim is 13 to 16 years old, and the offender is at least four years older than the victim and the two engage in consensual sex. The statute notes that lack of knowledge of the juvenile’s age shall not be a defense.
Edwards is 23, according to Lincoln Parish Detention Center records.
Investigation into the incident is ongoing.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
