A longtime sheriff’s deputy in Louisiana and his school teacher wife were arrested on child pornography charges this week.
Dennis Perkins and Cynthia Thompson Perkins face first-degree rape charges and 60 counts of pornography production involving a juvenile under the age of 13, a statement from the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office said.
The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, where Perkins worked as a lieutenant, arrested him Tuesday. Sheriff Jason Ard said he fired the lieutenant after investigators made him aware of the charges. Perkins, 44, led the SWAT team and had worked for the department since 2002, he said.
“It’s a sad day for all of us, for all law enforcement officers, when you arrest one of your own,” Ard said in a statement. “We at the LPSO work hard everyday to retain the trust placed in us by our citizens. I understand this was a veteran law enforcement officer, one who had dedicated a lot of
time and effort into this community, but as I have said in the past – no one is above the law.”
Authorities booked Thompson Perkins, 34, into the Livingston Parish Detention Center on Wednesday, according to jail records. She resigned from Livingston Parish Public Schools on Tuesday, according to a statement. Officials became of aware of the investigation that morning.
“Livingston Parish Public Schools is committed to the safety and security of all students and employees and is committed to working with the proper authorities as needed through the course of this investigation,” the district said.
A tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children sparked the ongoing investigation, the Attorney General’s Office said.
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Thompson Perkins worked at Westside Junior High School in Walker, The Advocate reported. She is being held on $500,000 bail, according to jail records.
