What the Louisiana State Police announced on September 9, 2026
According to the release issued by the Louisiana State Police, the Special Victims Unit received a complaint in August 2026 regarding "the exchange of goods for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and sexual favors by juveniles." As a result of the investigation and information obtained, an arrest warrant was acquired, and on September 9, 2026, Anthony T. Lacaze, 42, of Natchitoches, was arrested and processed into the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center. The State Police stated: "The investigation remains active and ongoing."
The warrants, as announced, charge:
- Indecent behavior with a juvenile, three counts
- Contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, three counts
- Production of child sexual abuse material, one count
- Felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile, one count
Read the release as published: Natchitoches Parish Journal, September 9, 2026 (reprinting the Louisiana State Police release in full) and KTBS coverage. Mr. Lacaze has been charged, not convicted, and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
What the charges mean, in plain language
The following are general descriptions of Louisiana offenses for readers unfamiliar with them. They are not a statement of the evidence in this case, which belongs to the prosecutors.
| Charge | Louisiana statute | What it generally covers |
|---|---|---|
| Indecent behavior with a juvenile | La. R.S. 14:81 | Lewd or lascivious acts upon or in the presence of a child under seventeen, by a person more than two years older, with the intention of arousing sexual desire; includes transmitting sexual material to a child. |
| Contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile | La. R.S. 14:92 | Intentionally enticing, aiding, or permitting a child under seventeen to engage in conduct that is criminal or that endangers the child, including the use of controlled substances. |
| Production of child sexual abuse material | La. R.S. 14:81.1 | Photographing, filming, or otherwise producing any visual depiction of a child under seventeen engaged in sexual conduct. The equivalent federal offense, 18 U.S.C. section 2251, carries no statute of limitations. |
| Felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile | La. R.S. 14:80 | Sexual intercourse, with consent, between a person seventeen or older and a child between thirteen and seventeen, where the age difference is four years or more. |
Three counts of indecent behavior and three of contributing to delinquency mean, at minimum, that the investigators have identified multiple juveniles. The school's own Executive Director swore in 2022 that six students had complained. If you were one of them, or one who never reported, the investigators want to hear from you, and so do we.
How your information reaches the investigators
Everything received through this tip line is provided to the investigating agencies: the Louisiana State Police Special Victims Unit, and, where federal offenses such as the production or possession of child sexual abuse material are implicated, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to which this office referred the matter on July 21, 2026. You decide whether your identity goes with it. You may provide information anonymously and it will be transmitted anonymously. You may provide it under your name and ask that investigators contact you directly. You may ask that counsel sit with you for any interview. Whatever you choose, nothing is provided to the school, its Board, its affiliated Foundation or Alumni Association, or any insurer.
Why route information through counsel at all? Three reasons. First, survivors' counsel has been assembling this record for two years, including sworn testimony, the federal spoliation judgment, the school's own Title IX disclosures, and thirty three notifications to state and federal authorities, and can place what you know in that context so investigators see its weight. Second, an attorney can protect your identity in the civil process, your rights as a victim in the criminal process, and your privacy from the institution, at once. Third, the same information often supports both the prosecution and your own civil claim, and having it in one place means you tell the story once.
None of this prevents you from going directly to law enforcement, and we will never discourage it. If you prefer to report on your own: contact the Louisiana State Police Special Victims Unit through any State Police troop or through lsp.org; the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff's Office; or the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Your rights in the criminal process
- Constitutional rights of crime victims. Article I, Section 25 of the Louisiana Constitution guarantees victims the right to be treated with fairness, dignity, and respect, to be informed of proceedings, to be present and heard at critical stages, to confer with the prosecution, and to seek restitution.
- Confidentiality of your identity. Louisiana law, La. R.S. 46:1844(W), protects the identity of victims of sex offenses and of minor victims from public disclosure in court records and by public officials.
- Choice. Providing information does not obligate you to testify. Decisions about testimony are made later, with the prosecutors, with counsel, and on your terms.
The federal dimension
This office referred the matter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Louisiana State Police on July 21, 2026, supported by a sworn attorney affidavit and an exhibit binder prepared for the United States Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana. The production of child sexual abuse material is a federal felony with no statute of limitations, and the continuing possession of such material is a new offense each day it is possessed. Separately, a federal court has already found that the school's leadership coached witnesses and destroyed records in prior litigation; that conduct, and the school's handling of student complaints, are the subject of continuing referrals concerning obstruction and failures to report. Survivors who were minors at the time may also have their own federal civil remedy under 18 U.S.C. section 2255, which has no time limit.
Beyond Lacaze: forty three years of one institution
The school opened in 1983. The records it produced in litigation include a 2012 memorandum to a prior Executive Director documenting a report about Lacaze's conduct toward a student, eight years before he resigned, and complaints across multiple administrations concerning other staff. The State Police investigation, as announced, concerns Lacaze. The civil claims being compiled are not so limited. If you were harmed at the school by anyone, in any year, whether or not you ever reported it, and whether or not the person is still alive or still employed, the civil window is open for you until June 14, 2027, and your information may matter to an investigation you do not yet know exists.