A Norco man has been arrested and charged with one count of pornography involving juveniles.
Of the 700 pornographic images allegedly found in the computer of Lindsey F. LeBlanc, 37, of 565 Alleman St. in Norco, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, assisted by the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, confirmed at least 42 were categorized as child pornography.
Arrested on March 9, LeBlanc was charged with pornography involving juveniles.
Capt. Pat Yoes said LeBlanc is not a convicted or registered sex offender. He has no previous criminal record with the exception of a traffic ticket.
If convicted, he faces a five- to 15-year prison sentence and possible fine that could range in the thousands of dollars. According to federal law, federal jurisdiction almost always applies when the Internet is involved in child pornography related crimes.
U.S. Sentencing Guidelines is a system where points are assigned based on the number of images or pictures a person has in his or her possession. Civil charges can apply if a person or persons feel harmed by whomever has the pictures. The offender also can face compensatory damages, punitive damages, court costs and attorney fees.
Owning, distributing, creating or watching child porn is a state and federal felony, and can be punishable on one or both levels.
State charges are determined by the state, and Louisiana officials are targeting offenders.
Gov. Bobby Jindal pressed for stronger measures for this crime.
In 2008, Jindal along with state Attorney General James “Buddy” Caldwell and U.S. Attorney David Dugas announced a new statewide, multi-jurisdictional “Operation Child Watch,” aimed at cracking down on child sex offenders.
As a part of the legislation supporting “Operation Child Watch,” Jindal advocated increasing the minimum sentence for computer-aided solicitation of a minor from one year to five years when the victim is 13 or older. He also endorsed a minimum 10-year sentence when the victim is 12 or younger.
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