Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre is now issuing a public warning after local officials received threats and harassing messages and phone calls.
This comes amid an investigation into deepfake nude images of a 13-year-old female student at Sixth Ward Middle school--images officials say were made with artificial intelligence and shared at the school by a male student. The male student is now facing charges after authorities say they found a total of 10 AI-generated pornographic images, including eight of the 13-year-old girl. The other two were of adults.
Webre said officials at Sixth Ward Middle School and the Lafourch Parish School Board received those threats, but he didn't say who specifically received them.
"Recent social media posts regarding an incident at Sixth Ward Middle School have fueled hostility and provoked violent rhetoric toward public officials and school administrators," Webre said in a press release. “Let me be clear: threats of violence are not protected speech. We absolutely support everyone’s right to free speech and voicing their opinion on any given topic, but threats of violence and harassment are crimes that are not protected under the First Amendment. There is a clear line between free speech and criminal behavior, and anyone who crosses that line will be held accountable.”
Webre's statement about the threats came shortly after he and Lafourche schools superintendent Jarod Martin issued a joint statement to correct what they said were rumors and misinformation surrounding the deepfake porn case.
"On August 26, 2025, female students reported concerns to a school counselor about the possible existence of artificially made nude images of students, which were rumored to have been shared among students," Martin and Webre wrote in that joint statement. "Sixth Ward Middle School administrators and the LPSO school resource officer began an immediate investigation.
"Consistent with established policy, several students were interviewed, and parents were contacted during the course of the day regarding the allegations. Despite everyone’s best efforts, by the end of the school day, investigators had not been successful in locating any image or any evidence of the existence of the images. Given that there was no indication of the potential for physical violence, it was correctly decided that the investigation would resume the following morning. Similarly, based on the information that had been obtained up to that point, officials had no reason to consider delaying normal dismissal."
In the statement, Webre and Martin said they learned about the illicit images after they were tipped off about the school bus fight in which the 13-year-old girl hit the boy who was allegedly sharing them. Webre and Martin said officials learned about the fight, in which a total of four students were involved, after a student who recorded the incident with a cell phone camera posted the video online.
"The overwhelming social media sentiment was one of outrage and a demand that the students involved in the fight be held accountable," Webre and Martin wrote. "In response to the video, LPSO school resource officers and juvenile detectives worked to obtain statements and obtained search warrants for phones and social media accounts. It was during this aspect of the investigation that juvenile detectives and school resource officers discovered A.I. generated nude images of eight female middle school students and two adults.
"The focus of the criminal investigation then pivoted to the creation and dissemination of the pornographic images," Webre and Martin continued. "As previously reported, thus far, one male juvenile has been criminally charged. The investigation is continuing, and additional charges against a second individual are possible."
While Webre says the girl won't face charges, the school board expelled her for her role in the fight. Webre and Martin noted that the school board's decision to expel her is based on the board's own rules and policies.
"While both agencies are investigating the same incidents, it should be noted that each has its own unique scope of authority and is held to a different legal standard," Webre and Martin wrote. "In investigations involving school incidents, criminal charges can, but do not necessarily, play a factor in disciplinary actions. Regardless, both public agencies are committed to protecting the privacy and legal rights of the children involved."
The 13-year-old girl has been allowed to return to school on a probationary basis. However, the girl's family says it now plans to sue the school board to have that expulsion removed from her record.
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