5 arrests made, 10 total warrants issued in Pointe Coupee child predator sting

POINTE COUPEE — Ten warrants have been issued and five arrests have been made in a multi-agency child predator sting targeting alleged sexual predators in Pointe Coupee Parish, officials said.

In a press conference held Friday, Pointe Coupee Sheriff Rene Thibodeaux announced that all five people arrested were charged with indecent behavior with juveniles. He added that the investigation has been ongoing for "the past couple of days"

Deputies said they arrested Devon Richard, 32; Jaden Barnes, 22; Dilan Matthews, 40; Brian Covington, 36 and Randall Lewis, 32.

"Our guys caught it before there was any victim, so that is great," Sheriff Thibodeaux said. "It was proactive, and was prevented."

This investigation, focused on eliminating sexual predators from Pointe Coupee Parish, involved the Louisiana Attorney General's Office, the Pointe Coupee Sheriff's Office and other state and local agencies.

Sheriff Thibodeaux added that so far in the agency's arrests, no one was from Pointe Coupee.

"Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Mississippi and other places," he said. "It's sad that they're trying to victimize little children. I don't care where you're from; we are going to execute the law to the fullest extent we can and try to prevent this."

An ICAC spokesperson added that in 2026 alone, the ICAC task force has made around 640 arrests.

"The Louisiana Sheriffs and our ICAC are at the tip of the spear when it comes to hunting down child predators and putting them behind bars where they belong," Attorney General Liz Murrill said.