Five teen girls rescued in blitz capturing 17 suspected sex offenders

Girl ‘had prior human sex trafficking issues ... but her pimp had recently been murdered,’ law enforcement says

Five teenage girls have been rescued in an operation capturing 17 suspected sex offenders in the area around New Orleans, Louisiana.

Operation Boo Dat, led by US Marshals, was conducted between October and 24 December and led to five girls between the ages of 14 and 17 being rescued. The operation resulted in 30 arrests in total, including 17 people suspected of felony sex offender registration violations, according to the US Marshals.

The New Orleans Police Department, Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police, and the USMS New Orleans Task Force were also involved in the process.

A man wanted for raping a 12-year-old girl near New Orleans was arrested, as was a man suspected of the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in Texas in June.

Among the rescued teenagers was a 16-year-old girl who reportedly ran away from home after stealing a relative’s vehicle and a handgun.

She was discovered “living with several adults to include an adult female strip club dancer”, the US Marshals said.

Two of the rescued teenagers, aged 15 and 16, are sisters and “may be victims of adult(s’) felony criminal sexual activities”, the 27 December press release said. They were found in an apartment in Baton Rouge.

“During Operation Boo Dat over one hundred sex offender compliance checks were also attempted or completed in Orleans and Jefferson Parishes,” the US Marshals added. “Sex Offender compliance checks require law enforcement officers to go to the sex offender’s reported address of residence to verify that the person still lives at the provided address. Often countless hours of follow up investigative work are required during and after a compliance check.”

One of those arrested included a 17-year-old girl who had been missing for “some time”. She was taken into custody on warrants of human trafficking and stealing a vehicle.

“She is known to have prior ties to several female runaways from New Orleans as well as ties to organized gang activities,” US Marshals said.

Three of the recovered girls, aged 14, 15, and 17, were found living in a motel room.

“The girls advised that before moving to that room they were in another motel room with adult males from Baton Rouge, LA who left/stranded them to return to Baton Rouge, LA due to the adult men’s cousin being shot,” law enforcement said.

One of the teen girls, a 15-year-old, “had prior human sex trafficking issues in Baton Rouge, but her pimp had recently been murdered,” the agency added. “She was located living with her 17-year-old boyfriend and one of his relatives at an apartment” in New Orleans.

She “was regularly leaving the apartment to meet with adult males” in the area and her case could be “associated with an armed robbery”.