Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office, West Monroe Police apprehend man whom they suspect sent ‘love poems’ to minor

Published 4:43 pm Monday, May 8, 2023

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VIDALIA, La. —  West Monroe Police aided Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office in the arrest of man who investigators suspect may have illegally contacted a local minor on social media and sent “love poems” and sexually explicit images to a Concordia Parish minor.

Joe Simmons, 31, of West Monroe, has been charged with indecent behavior with juveniles and computer-aided solicitation of a minor, according to a Monday news release from CPSO.

CPSO Cyber Crime Unit received a report of an adult who contacted a minor via social media in February, authorities said.

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Over the course of several months, he reportedly engaged in inappropriate conversations and expressed his desire to be with the minor by writing multiple love poems as well as sending sexually explicit images of himself.

Upon identifying Simmons, an arrest warrant was obtained and he was discovered to be living in a West Monroe apartment complex.

Contact was made with the West Monroe Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, which was able to locate Simmons and execute the arrest and a search warrant at the residence.

The matter remains under investigation. Anyone with information can contact Detective Stephen Lipscomb at CPSO by calling (318) 336-5231, Detective Justin Cummings at WMPD by calling (318) 397-6744 or submit a tip online using the CPSO mobile app.

Sheriff David Hedrick thanked West Monroe Police Chief Jason Pleasant and the West Monroe Police Department for their assistance in Simmons’s arrest.

All persons arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty.