HOUMA, LA – On October 20, the Louisiana State Police Criminal Investigations Division Houma Field Office (LSP CID/Houma) arrested 50-year-old Steve Mergey of Houma on charges of online solicitation of a juvenile. The arrest was the result of a joint investigation with Homeland Security Investigations.
The investigation began in November 2019 in reference to solicitation of juveniles.
Through the course of the investigation, it was learned that Mergey was using social media websites to solicit nude photos from the juveniles.
The investigation identified several victims from outside the state of Louisiana. An arrest warrant was obtained through the 32nd Judicial Court in Terrebonne Parish and Mergey was taken into custody.
Mergey was booked into the Terrebonne Parish Criminal Justice Center on charges of indecent behavior with a juvenile, pornography involving a juvenile, and computer-aided solicitation of a minor. The investigation remains active and is ongoing.
The Louisiana State Police online reporting system is available to the public through a convenient and secure reporting form that is submitted to the appropriate investigators. Citizens can access the form by visiting http://lsp.org/ and clicking the Suspicious Activity link.