Louisiana man charged with kidnapping, sexually assaulting 13-year-old Mississippi girl

Published 8:09 pm Monday, April 22, 2019

Authorities say they will bring charges against a 24-year-old man who met a 13-year-old Mississippi girl online and then picked her up and took her to Louisiana.

Monroe County Sheriff Cecil Cantrell tells the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal that Ronald Joseph Latiolais III of Gonzales, Louisiana, will be charged with kidnapping and sexual assault.

The Advocate reports Latiolais was awaiting extradition Monday after Ascension Parish sheriff’s deputies arrested him on a warrant accusing him of indecent behavior.

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Newspapers did not report whether he is represented by an attorney.

The girl was seen Friday night outside a restaurant in Aberdeen, Mississippi.

Investigators in Mississippi say Latiolais picked her up late Friday or early Saturday and drove her more than 350 miles (563 kilometers) to Ascension Parish.

She was found safe Saturday.