A 23-year-old man was taken into custody in Covington on Saturday after police said he tried to arrange a meeting with a 15-year-old for sexual purposes. Justin Gomez Laura now faces felony child exploitation charges and remains booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail.
According to the Covington Police Department, Laura was arrested by the department's Internet Crimes Against Children unit and charged with one count of indecent behavior with a juvenile under L.R.S. 14:81 and one count of computer-aided solicitation of a minor under L.R.S. 14:81.3. Police described Laura as an undocumented Hispanic male, and the arrest was carried out jointly by the department's Criminal Investigations Division and its Special Response Team. As mthermonwebtv.com reported, Laura was taken into custody on Saturday, November 7th, 2026, in Covington.
The same outlet reported that Laura was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail on the charges of indecent behavior with a juvenile and computer-aided solicitation of a minor, after he attempted to meet a 15-year-old juvenile for sexual purposes. A separate report from wdsu.com similarly noted that Laura is undocumented and was booked into the St. Tammany Parish jail.
A Multi-Agency Investigation
The Covington Police Department said the investigation involved a wide network of law enforcement partners, including the 22nd Judicial District Attorney's Office Special Victims Unit, the U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the Franklinton Police Department, and the Washington Parish Sheriff's Office. The department also thanked the United States Secret Service for assistance and partnership in the case.
Covington Police Chief Kevin Collins said the arrest resulted from investigators' daily efforts to find people who use the internet to target children. Collins also reminded parents to stay involved in their children's online activities and conversations.
Prosecutors Vow Continued Collaboration
22nd Judicial District Attorney J. Collin Sims said protecting children is a top priority for his office, adding that anyone who targets children must be held accountable under the law regardless of immigration status. Sims commended the Covington Police Department, the Special Victims Unit, and other law enforcement partners for their coordinated investigation efforts, and said his office will continue collaborating to protect children and keep communities safe.
The Louisiana statute on indecent behavior with juveniles, as published by the Louisiana Legislature, describes the offense as involving the commission of certain listed acts with the intent to arouse or gratify sexual desire. The full list of qualifying acts was not included in the portion of the statute reviewed for this report, and it has not been established here how the law applies to the specifics of Laura's case.
As with any criminal case, all persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, according to mthermonwebtv.com's report. No information on a plea, upcoming court date, or response from Laura or his representatives was available at the time of this report.
