THIBODAUX — A disturbing investigation is underway at Sixth Ward Middle School, highlighting the growing dangers of artificial intelligence. A male student has been arrested and charged with sharing explicit photos of other students that were allegedly created using AI.
Detectives with the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office launched the investigation in conjunction with school administrators after reports surfaced that several male students allegedly shared fake nude photos of female classmates on the bus and at school. The alleged photos also sparked a fight on a Sixth Ward Middle School bus that same day.
The Investigation
“The Student Resource Officer (SRO) who works at that school was aware that there was a complaint made,” Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre told UWK. “During the school day, the administration was not able to validate the complaint. They were they were seeking information. They met with other students, they talked to parents, but no one had produced a video or an image to the school at that point.”
Sheriff Webre said his team, along with juvenile detectives, began a comprehensive investigation into the AI-generated images and their distribution.
“The investigation also required a number of search warrants to be issued to the various apps and platforms that may have been used for creating and sharing,” Webre said. “We’re actually still getting replies from some of those and still doing forensic analysis.”
He added that these types of investigations take time. “Law enforcement investigations don’t happen as quickly as people might expect,” he added.
Detectives ultimately identified and charged one student they believe created and shared the images.
AI Crimes and New Charges
The student faces 10 counts of unlawful dissemination of images created by artificial intelligence, a relatively new charge under Louisiana law. Webre told UWK that he believes it’s the first time he’s seen the charge used by his deputies.
“I think as we progress, not only in this arena, but as the whole AI platform progresses, I think we’ll see a lot more legislators trying to catch up to the opportunities to commit crimes.”
The investigation remains active, and a second juvenile may also face charges.
“There is one other individual that we’re seeking evidence on who may have also been involved in the creation and may get charged,” Webre said. “We’re anticipating at least one more arrest based on what we can prove from an analysis of the forensic evidence that we have requested from different social media platforms.”
In total, the sheriff said there are at least eight student victims in the case.
Superintendent Jarrod Martin issued a statement on the matter, “Any and all allegations of criminal misconduct on our campuses are immediately reported to the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office. After reviewing this case, the evidence suggests that the school did, in fact, follow all of our protocols and procedures for reporting such instances.”
“I feel like my daughter’s childhood is being robbed”
UWK spoke with parents of two of the alleged victims, who will not be named to protect the children’s privacy. The mother of that alleged victim, who we are calling Ann, said her daughter called her in tears during the school day on August 26.
“She was very upset, and she was crying,” the victim’s mother said. “They didn’t really allow her to speak much. She was trying to tell me what happened, and the teacher explained to me that several students had gone into the office at school, saying that a little boy had created AI images of them, and then posting them on social media and passing them around school.
“I asked what type of images, and she informed me that they were apparently manufactured nude images, and that my daughter was a victim of one of those images.”
The mother said her daughter was distraught.
“She was crying, and she said, ‘There are naked pictures of me floating around the school. (They’re) not real pictures, I promise I did not send anybody pictures of me naked. It’s not really me,'” she recalled. “I was like, ‘I trust you, and I believe you. It’s okay.’ And she said, ‘Mom, I’m so embarrassed by this. This is so embarrassing. I feel like I’m walking around and everybody’s looking at me right now.’
UWK also spoke with the parents of a second alleged victim, who we are calling Jane. Jane’s mother said the school reached out to her after Jane told her sister what was going on. “She texted her that these pictures were going around school, and she was scared and she was embarrassed, and she went to the school to tell the principal,” Jane’s mom told UWK.
Jane’s mother said the school called her about ten minutes later, after they found out Jane told her sister. Jane’s mother told Jane’s father what was going on, and he called the school. “They told me they were looking into it. The SRO was involved. They had investigated it and did not find anything. So I left that call thinking it was just rumors and hearsay,” Jane’s father said.
“My daughter had never seen anything. She didn’t see the pictures, but people were teasing her and saying there were pictures going around. So I trusted in them to handle it,” Jane’s mother said.
That’s also what Ann’s mother told UWK. “Other students at the school told them about them, that a little boy posted it on social media platforms,” she said.
When the parents learned that the images existed, they were shocked. “I feel like my daughter’s childhood is being robbed because of somebody that decided to sexually assault her,” Jane’s mother said.
“As a mom, we do everything in our power to protect our children and guide them and teach them of the warnings of what’s really out there in the world and we have safeguarded them in the home with strict rules and regulations,” Ann’s mother said. “You don’t ever envision it’s going to happen to your child. It broke my heart. I was angry. I was absolutely mortified when I asked what law enforcement agency was investigating and I was told law enforcement wasn’t involved at this time.”
Webre said the school’s SRO heard the initial reports but that administrators had not yet seen any of the alleged images or videos when the complaint surfaced. He emphasized that his office has worked closely with the school since the beginning of the investigation. However, Jane’s parents hired lawyers, and are suing the school system on the grounds of negligence.
Bus fight
The same day the images surfaced, August 26, a fight broke out on a school bus involving four students, including Jane and one student believed to have created the AI images, according to Sheriff Webre. Jane was expelled from school.
“From what I gathered, the little boy was still showing the pictures on the bus,” Jane’s father said. “Multiple kids had seen him doing it, and I think they just had enough. She hit him and jumped over the seat. When she jumped over the seat, she kicked him.”
Ann’s mother told UWK she thinks Jane’s expulsion sends the wrong message.
“The victims of a sex crime are left to deal with the aftermath of this situation while the person who committed the crime, he walks away, scot-free and is able to switch to another school with no punishment,” the mother said.
As of now, multiple girls are believed to be victims, and the investigation by the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office continues.
School’s statement
Lafourche Parish School District Superintendent Jarod Martin sent UWK the following statement regarding the investigation:
The Lafourche Parish School Board is dedicated to a mission centered on providing a safe, healthy, and nurturing learning environment for all students, and this mission is reflected in values that prioritize the well-being and success of every child.
Our commitment to student safety and our commitment to the consistent application of consequences are the bedrock and foundation upon which every decision is made. We understand the public’s interest in this matter; however, federal law, specifically the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), strictly prohibits us from releasing or discussing any specific student’s disciplinary records. We can assure you that all violations of our student code of conduct, including acts of violence and distribution of pornographic material, are immediately and thoroughly investigated and are met with adequate, swift and consistent consequences.
Any and all allegations of criminal misconduct on our campuses are immediately reported to the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office. After reviewing this case, the evidence suggests that the school did, in fact, follow all of our protocols and procedures for reporting such instances. This incident remains under investigation by LPSO at this time.
Unfortunately, in this case, there is a tremendous amount of misinformation and omissions of fact that present a one-sided story that fails to illustrate the totality and complex nature of this particular incident and the district’s response. We have never and will never steer from our mission of ensuring a safe and healthy learning environment for all students.
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