A Louisiana sheriff’s deputy and his junior high school teacher wife have been arrested and charged with dozens of counts of producing pornography with a child under 13 as well as rape and other charges, according to The Advocate.
Dennis Perkins, 44, had worked for the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office since 2002, working his way up to lieutenant and heading the SWAT team. Cynthia Thompson Perkins, 34, taught at Westside Junior High School in Walker. He was fired upon his arrest; she resigned.
Both have been charged with 60 counts of producing porn with a preteen and two counts of first degree rape. Dennis Perkins has also been charged with three counts of possession of pornography involving a juvenile under age 13, two counts of video voyeurism, and two counts of obscenity.
The attorney general’s office said detectives launched an investigation after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about the possible possession and distribution of child pornography. It wasn’t immediately clear how many victims were involved nor if any were local children, but Livingston Parish Schools spokeswoman Delia Taylor said she’d gotten no indication from the attorney general’s office that any of the children were from the district.
“It’s a sad day for all of us … when you arrest one of your own,” Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard said, adding that he’d considered Perkins a friend.
The former deputy is being held on a $1,6750,000 bond at a jail in a neighboring parish for his own protection. Cynthia Perkins is being held on a $500,000 bond.
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[Featured image: Dennis Perkins and Cynthia Perkins/Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office]
