Cynthia Perkins was booked on 60 counts of production of pornography involving a juvenile under the age of 13 and two counts of first-degree rape.

Denny Perkins, her husband and a supervisor at the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office was also arrested on similar charges.

Cynthia was arrested in the couple's home, while Denny was picked up in Sabine Parish at Toledo Bend while fishing. Sources say that when law enforcement approached Denny to make the arrest, he threw his cell phone into the reservoir before being taken into custody. He was transported to Sabine Parish prison, then to Livingston Parish Prison and later to Ascension Parish Prison where he is being kept for his own safety, according to news reports.

Several allegations have been circulating regarding this case, but nothing has been released by the AG's office other than the specific charges for each.

Both suspects are being held without bond as of 10/30/19

Upon Denny Perkins arrest, Jason Ard released this statement:

quote:
"From Sheriff Jason Ard Livingston Parish: Denny Perkins was a lieutenant with the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office & was over ‘Special Operations’. He served at the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office since 2002.

Denny Perkins was terminated when I (Sheriff Ard) was made aware of charges & evidence provided by investigators with the Attorney General’s Office.

‘It is a sad day for us, for all law enforcement officers, when you arrest one of your own. We at the LPSO work hard every day to retain the trust placed in us by our citizens. I understand this was a veteran law enforcement officer, one who had dedicated a lot of time & effort into this community, but as I have said in the past - no one is above the law. This type of alleged behavior will not be tolerated by me or anyone at the LPSO. I do not condone these alleged acts. I am disappointed. I have always considered Denny a friend & a family member. The Attorney General’s Office is leading this investigation. We are assisting & offering to cooperate in any way we can."

Other Details

Denny Perkins joined the LPSO in 2002. He worked at the Walker PD prior to this. Perkins took a polygraph while transitioning to the LPSO, on which he admitted to stealing from a previous employer and stealing from a store. Despite the polygraph results, Perkins, who was deemed a "high risk" was hired. Deputy Jason Ard served as a character witness for Perkins when he got hired at LPSO. WBRZ found a document that said, "Deputy Ard stated that the applicant was of good character and knows him to be quite proficient in his duties as a police officer. Deputy Ard further stated that he feels the applicant would make LPSO an excellent employee."

It was discovered that in 2011, a woman who was not named filed a restraining order against Perkins. Records indicate Dennis Perkins used his unmarked unit to stalk her boyfriend. Chris Nakamoto questioned the Livingston Sheriff's Office's PIO, Lori Steele about this, who told him they couldn't investigate something they had no knowledge of. Nakamoto then presented her with a copy of the restraining order which was stamped RECEIVED by Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office at the top. Later in a press conference, Jason Ard would maintain that the Sheriff's Office did deliver the TRO, however, the recipient was Dennis Perkins and his office did not realize that was Denny Perkin's real name. The TRO even had an optional delivery address of the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office Narcotics Division as seen here. Nothing regarding the TRO was ever documented and placed in the personnel file of Denny Perkins.

It was also discovered that in 2014 a Baton Rouge Police Officer came to Jason Ard with a complaint that Denny Perkins had crawled into bed with his underage daughter and another girl, while the 2 were having a sleepover at Perkins' home. Ard stated that he asked the State Police to investigate, which they did, and found that no laws were broken. Ard said he performed a "Verbal Investigation" and spoke with Perkins, who denied the allegations. Ard went on to state that he did not write any type of report nor did he indicate anything about the complaint in the personnel file of Denny Perkins. Ard also called the Baton Rouge Police Officer a disgrace to the badge for identifying the victim in this case, moments before Ard said there was no case because the investigation, which he didn't document, turned up no evidence of wrongdoing.

A press conference was held on 10/30/19 amid pressure by the media. Jason Ard decides to do a Q&A which turned out to be a complete disaster and ended up looking like Ard is covering for his friend Denny Perkins. Ard told reporters that there was nothing in Denny Perkins' personnel jacket besides his promotions throughout the years. Ard is quoted as saying "If you don't write it down, it didn't happen" ( LINK) moments before stating "I took that upon myself to still do what I call a verbal investigation" in the 2014 allegations of Perkins climbing into bed with 2 underage females.

You can see the entire press conference here

Ard also participated in a Q&A podcast hosted by the Livingston Parish News regarding this case. You can listen here.

10-31-19 WBRZ: The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office confirmed to WBRZ, Perkins drove his enforcement unit to a rented cabin along Highway 6 on Toledo Bend and the unit was there when he was taken into custody. Perkins should not have driven the unit that far out of the parish, the sheriff’s office told WBRZ Thursday.

11-6-19 WBRZ: Denny Perkins transferred from Ascension Parish Prison to a State Prison for what Jason Ard called "Safety Concerns." Story at WBRZ

11-7-19 LP School Board statement: “The administration and faculty of Livingston Parish Schools are aware of the community reaction to the Attorney General’s investigation of a former teacher in our district. In compliance with the wishes of the Attorney General and to protect the integrity of the investigation and the privacy of our students and their families, LPPS will not comment or discuss details of the matter until such time as the case has reached disposition. Our priority is the welfare of the children of this district and the preservation of a consistent, quality educational process during this stressful time. Thank you for your continued support.” A school board meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening. The agenda does not list a discussion related to the ongoing investigations.

This post was edited on 11/7/19 at 12:09 pm