by Wesley Harris
The Louisiana Internet Crimes Against Children ICAC Task Force, led by the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations, conducted multi-agency training focused on tracking down online predators in Shreveport last week.
LBI is overseen by the Office of the Louisiana Attorney General.
Agencies participating in the training and the subsequent operation were Shreveport Police, Ruston Police, Bossier Sheriff’s Office, Bossier City Police, Pineville Police, Minden Police, Livingston Sheriff’s Office, Bienville Sheriff’s Office, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Following the training, investigators immediately put those skills to work in a targeted operation in the Shreveport area.
Lieutenant Kayla Loyd, an investigator with Ruston PD, participated in the training and subsequent operation. Both RPD and the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office are members of the task force.
In a statement, the Office of the Attorney General said, “Let’s be clear — this type of work is tough, it’s uncomfortable, and it’s absolutely necessary. The individuals our investigators deal with in these cases are predators targeting children, and there is zero tolerance for that in our community.”
Arrested in the operation on April 11 were John Michael Fletcher, 42, and Mark Steven Longino, 63, for computer-aided solicitation of a minor for sexual purposes and indecent behavior with a juvenile.
George Simmons, 51, was arrested for indecent behavior with a juvenile.
More arrests are expected as a result of the operation.
Ruston Police Chief Eric Watson recently approved RPD’s membership on the task force
“The Ruston Police Department gladly assisted in this operation as a member of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force,” Watson said. “RPD looks forward to other opportunities to work with the ICAC task force and these agencies in making our state safer for our children.”
“We are incredibly proud of the officers and agents who do this work,” the Office of the Attorney General said. “It’s not glamorous—but it matters and saves kids.”
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.
