Eleven arrested in month-long vice sting
Published 1:07 pm Thursday, November 17, 2011
A monthlong sting operation involving video and audio surveillance and undercover work led to the arrests of 11 men on charges of obscenity, Sheriff Tony Mancuso said Thursday.
Mancuso said detectives began the sting at the beginning of last month after Richard C. Roussell, 55, of 2106 Walker Drive, Lot 14, in Westlake, was arrested for engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old in the Civic Center parking lot and residents complained about men performing lewd acts in the bathrooms.
Roussell was charged with 40 counts of sexual battery and five counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile.
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Lt. Rusty Broussard with the Vice Division said the men typically parked near the restroom and waited for the arrival of other males, whom they would follow inside.
He said that during the investigation the men asked for sexual favors, exposed themselves, and touched or grabbed undercover agents.
“We are going to take this stance at any park in Calcasieu Parish,” he said. “We are not going to tolerate acts of sex in public where our children visit.”
The Sheriff’s Office conducted a similar sting operation in 2007 that resulted in 17 arrests at Tuten Park, Mancuso said. The park was closed to the public and revamped by the city to provide for more visibility.
Those arrested in the latest sting were:
• Ronnie Allison, 46, 2102 21st St., Lake Charles.
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• Roy J. Barrett, 84, 702 S. La. 109, Starks.
• Michael C. Chiasson, 50, 2404 Bowie St., Westlake.
• Floyd J. Fontenot, 64, 4118 Harvard St., Lake Charles.
• Christopher D. Bennett, 34, 110 Railroad Ave., Lake Charles.
• Delton Teal, 67, 2007 Orange Ave., Lake Arthur.
• Larry McGee, 65, 5733 Gene Lane, Lake Charles.
• Keith W. Dartez, 60, 422 E. Claude St., Lake Charles; he was also charged with marijuana possession.
• Brent L. Logan, 27, 9571 Lawton Road, Beaumont, Texas; he was also charged with two counts of sexual battery.
• Troy L. Williams, 46, 309 Libby St.; he was also charged with one count of sexual battery.
Mancuso said more arrests could be made.
“Our No. 1 concern is that our children have a safe place to go play in these parks and these playgrounds, and families can bring their families and their children without having to worry about taking them to the bathroom and someone being in that bathroom doing something they shouldn’t be doing,” he said.
Mancuso said authorities would continue the vice effort “until we get rid of it and it’s no longer a problem.”
