Attorney General Liz Murrill's Cyber Crime Unit has apprehended a Lafayette man on multiple charges related to sex crimes. The arrest took place on Tuesday, May 28.
Shannon Paul Bellard, 54, residing on Robley Drive in Lafayette, was detained in Opelousas. He faces several charges, including eight counts of pornography involving juveniles under the age of 13 in St. Landry Parish and two similar counts in Lafayette Parish. Additionally, he is charged with 15 counts of sexual abuse of an animal in St. Landry Parish.
The arrest resulted from a collaborative investigation conducted by Attorney General Murrill's Cyber Crime Unit alongside the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office, St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Bellard has been booked into the St. Landry Parish Jail and awaits extradition to the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center for the charges pending against him there.
The investigation remains ongoing.