New Orleans authorities conducted a months-long operation that resulted in the rescue of five teenage girls and the arrest of 30 sex offenders and required the help of state, county, and local authorities.
The collective efforts, dubbed "Operation Boo Dat," were conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service's New Orleans Task Force and other agencies. Law enforcement personnel started the operation in mid-October and it lasted until Dec. 24.
Operation Boo Dat
Authorities revealed that the rescued teenage girls ranged from 14 to 17 years old, identifying one of the victims as a 16-year-old who ran away from home after allegedly stealing a relative's car and a handgun. Officials found her inside a house with several adults, including an "adult female strip club dancer."
One of the suspects, identified as Lorenzo Oliver, was labeled as a sex offender for life after being arrested on Dec. 10 for allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl inside an abandoned home located on the West Bank of New Orleans. The suspect was found to have been previously convicted of attempted forcible rape and sexual battery in 2015, after following a woman into a library bathroom and trying to rape her.
In a press release, the U.S. Marshals Service said that 17 of the arrests that they made were of those accused of felony sex offender registration violations. Officials also said that one of the suspects was arrested for alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in San Patricio County, Texas, in June, USA Today reported.
Law enforcement said that two of the rescued teenage girls, aged 15 and 16, were sisters found inside an apartment in Baton Rouge who may have been the victims of adult(s) felony criminal sexual activities. In a statement, the U.S. Marshals Service said that Operation Boo Dat resulted in more than 100 sex offender compliance checks being attempted or completed in Orleans and Jefferson Parishes.
Sex Offenders
They said that, with sex offender compliance checks, officials were required to go to the sex offender's reported address of residence and verify that the person still lived at the address. Authorities noted that, most of the time, officers were required to do countless hours of follow-up investigative work during and after the checks, the New York Post reported.
Another suspect, identified as James E. Muse, was arrested by officials on Nov. 8 after failing to report to the probation and parole board for a "considerable amount of time" amid recurring allegations that he was involved in sex trafficking cases. The man was on parole for allegedly enticing persons under 17 into prostitution in New Orleans.
David Douglas Smith was arrested on Oct. 26 for failing to register as a sex offender after he was convicted in 1996 in East Baton Rouge Parish for molesting a nine-year-old girl. He was known to have been living in Tangipahoa Parish in eastern Louisiana for more than two years without registering.
Authorities also found James Sorrell at a homeless shelter in New Orleans under a false name trying to avoid law enforcement. There were multiple warrants for the suspect from Texas and Wisconsin for failing to register as a sex offender, the Dailymail reported.
Related Article:
2 Save the Children Staff Workers Confirmed Dead Following the Christmas Eve Attacks in Myanmar
