A monthslong law enforcement operation in New Orleans resulted in the arrest of 30 sex offenders and the recovery of five missing teenagers, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) confirmed last week.
The multiagency effort dubbed “Operation Boo Dat” was led by the USMS New Orleans Task Force and lasted from mid-October to Dec. 24. The rescue effort culminated in the recovery of five missing and endangered teenage girls, ranging in age from 14 to 17, the USMS said in a press release.
Among the dozens of arrested individuals, 17 were accused of felony sex offender registration violations, according to the release.
One of the arrested suspects, identified as Lorenzo Oliver, was wanted by the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) for the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in an abandoned residence.
Oliver was convicted of attempted forcible rape and sexual battery in 2015 after he followed an adult female in the bathroom of a library in Westwego, a suburban community of New Orleans, Louisiana. He will have to register as a sex offender for life, according to the release.
Another suspect, identified as Lamonte Versill Morris, was wanted on a warrant for alleged aggravated sexual assault on a 14-year-old girl in San Patricio County, Texas.
“Morris had gone on the run knowing that he was wanted,” the USMS said, adding that he was located at a residence on Oct. 29 by a USMS New Orleans Task Force.
“During Operation Boo Dat over one hundred sex offender compliance checks were also attempted or completed in Orleans and Jefferson Parishes,” the federal agency said.
“Sex Offender compliance checks require law enforcement officers to go to the sex offender’s reported address of residence to verify that the person still lives at the provided address. Often countless hours of follow-up investigative work are required during and after a compliance check,” it added.
Among the victims was a 16-year-old girl who ran away from home after allegedly stealing the car and gun from a relative, according to the release. That teen was recovered at a location with several adults including a female strip club dancer.
Other victims include two sisters who were found inside an apartment in Baton Rouge and are believed by U.S. Marshals to be victims of felony criminal sexual activities. Another runaway victim, a 15-year-old girl whose sex trafficker had recently been murdered, was located at a residence with her boyfriend and another relative.
The multiagency effort was conducted in cooperation with members of the NOPD, Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Louisiana State Police.