Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s Cyber Crime Unit arrested a man from Franklin Parish Wednesday in connection with child pornography.
David A. Punchard, 54, of Baskin, was charged with 20 counts of possession of child pornography under the age of 13.
This arrest was a result of a joint investigation with the state Cyber Crime Unit, the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Franklin Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation was prompted by a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
NCMEC is a non-profit organization whose mission is to help find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation, and prevent child victimization. NCMEC works with families, victims, private industry, law enforcement, and the public to assist with preventing child abductions, recovering missing children, and providing services to deter and combat child sexual exploitation.
Lincoln Parish law enforcement authorities have investigated a number of NCMEC tips in the past.
Punchard was booked at the Franklin Parish Detention Center without incident. Bail was set at $200,000.
The Office of the Attorney General said the investigation 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.
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