St. Martinville Man Arrested in Child Predator Sting in Lafayette, Louisiana

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) - Many times, child predators will drive great lengths to meet up with juveniles who they think they can take advantage of.

One case that comes to mind recently was when an Egan man allegedly drove 230 miles to Oak Grove to allegedly have sex with who he thought was a 13-year-old girl. Turns out, the "girl" was an undercover officer.

Unfortunately, accused child predators often travel to Lafayette in hopes of meeting up with minors and juveniles. In one case, an Erath man was caught allegedly being in possession of a stolen gun following a 4-month conversation with who he thought was a juvenile female. That was an undercover operation with the investigation carried out by Louisiana State Police.

Often times, law enforcement agencies work with organizations who portray themselves as juveniles online in order to catch child predators looking to meet up with juveniles. According to Lafayette Police, one of these organizations called Predator Poachers was able to trick a St. Martinville man into thinking that he was meeting up with a 12-year-old female. When 46-year-old Jerry Case, Jr. showed up to the 200 block of Terminal Drive in Lafayette, though, authorities say he learned what was really happening.

Lafayette Police officers responded to the area just before 9:00 p.m. on Monday, June 19, in regards to a disturbance call. That's when officers say they learened about Predator Poachers' catch. Following an investigation, Case was subsequently arrested on the following charges:

• Felony Indecent Behavior With a Juvenile (1 count)
• Computer-aided Solicitation of a Juvenile
• Sexual Abuse With an Animal
• Pornography Involving Juveniles

Case has been booked into The Lafayette Parish Correctional Center. His court date is set for Friday morning at 8:30 a.m.

Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact The Lafayette Police Department or Lafayette Crime Stopper at (337) 232-TIPS (8477). You can also contact Lafayette Crime Stoppers by downloading the P3 TIPS Mobile App or by dialing **TIPS (**8477) on your mobile device. All callers remain anonymous.

For information about online safety for kids, parents and caregivers can log onto www.netsmartz.org.