NEW ORLEANS – A multi-agency sweep of sex offenders during Halloween resulted in 13 arrests in the New Orleans area.
Deputy U.S. Marshalls teamed with state and local law enforcement officials between October 23 and November 4.
About 90 home compliance checks were performed during the sweep, dubbed “Operation Boo Dat,” according to the Marshals Service.
A Crimestoppers tip led police to Chad Blair Downing, who was found in possession of 31 pieces of crack cocaine in New Orleans City Park, a popular stop for teens during the Halloween Weekend thanks to the Voodoo Music Experience.
Downing is a sex offender with a 2001 conviction for forcible rape of a child, and has been arrested on multiple other charges.
John Major, who has at least three sex offence convictions in the New Orleans metro area, was arrested during the sweep, as was another registered sex offender who was caught in the French Quarter wearing makeup that completely obscured his face.
“The Marshals Service is committed to keeping our communities safe by taking predators off the streets,” U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Louisiana Genny May said. “We want to send a clear message to fugitive sex offenders — we will be out there and we’ve instituted an aggressive enforcement strategy that will bring us to your doorstep if you fail to comply with your registration requirements.”
The US Marshals Service New Orleans Fugitive Task Force, New Orleans Police Department, Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police, Louisiana State Probation and Parole, and Crimestoppers Greater New Orleans all collaborated for the operation.
