Thibodaux man arrested in child sex crime case

Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

TERREBONNE PARISH, La. (WGNO) — A Thibodaux man was arrested Wednesday in connection with an investigation into child sex crimes.

According to the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office, patrol officers began responding to a report of suspected sexual abuse of several underage boys at a Terrebonne Parish home.

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Officers spoke with the victims’ family members and identified the suspect as a close family friend, 63-year-old Wayne Bennett. The victims reportedly described several locations in and outside of Terrebonne Parish where the abuse allegedly occurred, including in another state.

A joint investigation into the allegations subsequently began, involving the TPSO Special Victims Unit, the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Louisiana State Police and Homeland Security Investigations.

SVU documented multiple victims, identified locations in Terrebonne Parish where the abuse allegedly occurred, and allegedly confirmed the reports of sexual abuse between Bennett and the victims. Arrest warrants were subsequently obtained for Bennett, and he was later located by federal authorities at a Florida address on September 23 and taken into custody.

Bennett was subsequently extradited from Florida to Terrebonne Parish, where he was arrested on September 25. He is now charged with first and third degree rape, five counts of child trafficking for sexual purposes and three counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile.

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Bennett was taken into custody at the Terrebonne Parish Criminal Justice Complex and is being held on $700,000 bond.

SVU detectives reportedly interviewed Bennett and he allegedly confessed to sexually abusing the known victims. Bennett also allegedly gave authorities investigative information about abuses dating back several decades that could help investigators identify more victims.

The investigation is ongoing and authorities say identifying additional victims and filing additional charges against Bennett is “highly likely.” Further details will be released as they become available.

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