Louisiana sheriff's lieutenant, teacher accused of producing child porn



BATON ROUGE, La. (WGNO) A Louisiana sheriff's lieutenant and his wife have both been arrested and charged with creating child pornography, video voyeurism, and first-degree rape.

Forty-four-year-old Dennis Perkins faces 60 counts of production of pornography involving a juvenile under the age of 13, two counts of first-degree rape, three counts of possession of pornography involving a juvenile under the age of 13, two counts of video voyeurism, and two counts of obscenity.

Thirty-four-year-old Cynthia Perkins, Dennis Perkins’ wife, has also been charged with 60 counts of production of pornography involving a juvenile under the age of 13, as well as two counts of first-degree rape.

Cynthia Perkins worked as a school teacher at Westside Junior High School in Walker, The Advocate reports.

“It is a sad day for us, for all law enforcement officers, when you arrest one of your own,” Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard said. “We at the LPSO work hard everyday to retain the trust placed in us by our citizens. I understand this was a veteran law enforcement officer, one who had dedicated a lot of time & effort into this community, but as I have said in the past – no one is above the law. This type of alleged behavior will not be tolerated by me or anyone at the LPSO. I do not condone these alleged acts. I am disappointed. I have always considered Denny a friend & a family member. The Attorney General’s Office is leading this investigation. We are assisting & offering to cooperate in any way we can.”

Dennis Perkins was in charge of special operations for the LPSO at the time of his arrest, but Ard said he fired him as soon as he learned of the charges.

The arrests resulted from a joint investigation between the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, Louisiana State Police, and the LPSO. The investigation began from a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding the possible possession and distribution of child pornography.

Anyone with information regarding Cynthia Perkins or Dennis Perkins is encouraged to contact the LBI toll-free at 1-800-256-4506. Callers may remain anonymous.