A 17-year-old suspect wanted in connection with a series of sexual assaults in New Orleans is in custody after police and federal marshals arrested him in Jefferson Parish.
The unnamed juvenile, who, according to police, is from Jefferson Parish, is accused of committing the assaults between March 26 and April 7 in the Rue Parc Fontaine area in Algiers. NOPD officials say tips from the community and DNA evidence tied the teen to the crimes.
The suspect is facing one count of first-degree rape, one count of attempted first-degree rape, and one count of armed robbery. Additional charges are pending.
“I want to commend our detectives in the Special Victims Section and in the Fourth District, who worked relentlessly to get this offender off the streets and end this terrifying threat to the women in our community,” NOPD Superintendent Michelle Woodfork said in a press release. “I also want to give special thanks to our partners with the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab for working so quickly to fast track the processing of DNA in this case, which ultimately led to our suspect. We could not have done it without them. Also, thank you to our VOWS Unit and the U.S. Marshals for making a quick apprehension of the suspect.
“To the community…we thank you for your assistance. We had multiple tips to Crimestoppers and other information as people stepped up to assist in the investigation. To the victims in this case, for bravely facing this horror and doing what they needed to do to help us make this arrest, we thank you for your courage.”
