Highlights

Louisiana becomes one of the first states to explicitly criminalize child grooming with SB 58, effective August 1, 2025
Law targets children under 13, with penalties up to 25 years in prison for grooming behaviors that precede sexual abuse
Personal story: Tim Gioe, clergy abuse survivor, inspired father-in-law Sen. Patrick Connick to author the legislation
Law fills gap exposed by Dennis Perkins case where grooming behavior went unprosecuted in 2013
Provides law enforcement proactive tool to stop predators before physical abuse occurs

Louisiana Makes History: Child Grooming Becomes Criminal Offense August 1st

Landmark legislation gives law enforcement tools to prosecute predators before physical abuse occurs, inspired by local abuse survivors

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) — In two weeks, Louisiana changes how it protects children. Starting August 1, the state joins a handful of others explicitly making child grooming a felony, handing prosecutors a tool they've desperately needed.

According to state records, Senate Bill 58 sailed through the Legislature with rare unanimous support before Governor Jeff Landry signed it into law.

"This bill shows Louisiana how much we care about our kids," Landry said at the signing ceremony. "Anyone who would use the trust they have in children to then abuse those children should go to jail."

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The legislation springs from tragedy turned purpose. Senator Patrick Connick (R-Marrero) wrote the bill after his son-in-law, Tim Gioe, shared his story of childhood sexual abuse that started with grooming. Gioe was abused by New Orleans priest Pat Wattigny in the 1990s when he was in grade school.

"SB 58 [was] signed by Governor Landry today," Connick said. "This is not just a policy change; it's a promise to every parent and guardian in Louisiana that we will not tolerate the manipulation of our most vulnerable."

Under the new law, those convicted of child grooming could face up to 25 years in prison if the victim is under 13.

What the New Law Covers - Understanding Child Grooming in Louisiana

Grooming isn't hard to spot once you know what to look for. It's the slow process predators use to manipulate, gain trust, and isolate children for future abuse. Louisiana's new law makes it a crime to "persuade, induce, entice, seduce, or coerce a child under the age of 13 to engage in any conduct intended to facilitate the offender committing a lewd or lascivious act."

The bill went through changes during the legislative process. Originally covering children under 17, lawmakers narrowed it to focus on children under 13. They also removed the requirement that suspects be at least two years older than victims.

Personal Stories Drive Legislative Change

Tim Gioe's Journey from Victim to Advocate

The law exists because a family refused to let trauma win. Tim Gioe, his wife Sarah Connick Gioe, and her father Senator Pat Connick turned personal pain into protection for other children.

Pat Wattigny pleaded guilty in June 2023 to molesting two children through his ministry. Tim Gioe was one of them, abused as a grade-schooler in the 1990s.

After the bill passed, Gioe said: "Grooming is how predators operate — and for too long, the law hasn't caught up. Proud of my father-in-law, Senator Patrick Connick, for leading the charge to finally make grooming a crime in Louisiana."

The Dennis Perkins Connection

Sometimes the system's failures become impossible to ignore. The case of former Livingston Parish deputy Dennis Perkins showed exactly why Louisiana needed this law.

In 2013, a counselor told a family that Perkins had engaged in grooming behavior with a child. "The counselor also told (them) that he believed Perkins had done this before and would do it again," according to State Police reports. But investigators couldn't charge him because grooming wasn't illegal.

Perkins was finally arrested in 2019 on horrific child sex crimes, eventually pleading guilty and receiving 100 years in prison. Six years of potential victims because the law had gaps big enough for predators to slip through.

How Louisiana Law Enforcement Will Use the New Tool

District attorneys across Louisiana now have what they've been asking for: the ability to stop predators before children get hurt. "A person who is going to prey on children before they harm that child — we will be able to go after them and prosecute them for what they are trying to do," Connick explained.

The shift from reactive to proactive means prosecutors can build cases on intent and patterns of behavior, not just physical evidence of abuse. Sen. Connick calls SB 58 proactive legislation that protects children before sexual offenses occur.

Expert Analysis: Closing the Legal Gap

Child protection experts have watched Louisiana close a dangerous loophole. Toni Bankston, executive director of the Baton Rouge Children's Advocacy Center, said grooming behavior creates access for predators to reach children.

"The act (of grooming) itself can be exciting to the perpetrator, the lead up, the build up, so that's why we're trying to get tougher with laws about child sexual abuse," Bankston said.

Former U.S. Attorney Walt Green put it bluntly: "Unfortunately the way our society is and our laws are set up, it's difficult for law enforcement to go after sexual grooming."

Kathryn Robb, national director of the Children's Justice Campaign Enough Abuse, called the law "a game changer for our kids in terms of getting sucked into manipulative criminal behavior."

What Parents and Communities Need to Know

Grooming doesn't happen overnight. Predators work slowly, methodically. They offer to babysit, suggest sleepovers, create situations where they're alone with children. They give gifts without reason, show pornography, or talk about sexual topics to normalize inappropriate behavior.

The behavior escalates gradually. What starts as seemingly innocent physical contact — hugging, tickling, wrestling — can progress to inappropriate touching. Predators often tell children these interactions are "special secrets" or threaten consequences if children tell adults.

Bankston recommends parents stay involved in their children's lives, monitor online activity, and create environments where kids feel safe reporting uncomfortable situations.

If you suspect grooming, document everything and contact authorities immediately. Don't wait for physical abuse to occur.

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Resources for Louisiana Families

If you or someone you know needs help:

Baton Rouge Children's Advocacy Center – Trauma-focused counseling, forensic interviews, and advocacy. Call (225) 343-1984.
Unbound Now – Fights human trafficking, supports survivors. Visit unboundnow.org/louisiana.
Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault – 24/7 statewide hotline at (888) 995-7273.

Legislative Journey and Bipartisan Support

Good policy transcends party lines. Eighteen senators from both parties co-authored the bill. It passed the Senate unanimously and faced no resistance in the House.

The bill became Act No. 97, effective August 1, 2025.

National Implications and Future Impact

Connick believes Louisiana's law could become "model legislation for the nation." Other states are watching.

Tonja Myles knows the stakes personally. Sexually abused at age 7, she now works as a peer support specialist helping other survivors. "The depth of that scar runs so deep that it affects every part of your body, and it takes a long time to heal from," Myles said.

"When you groom, or have others groom for you, there needs to be laws to prosecute you. Because that pain, shame, and trauma… it's no joke."

The law gives Louisiana children protection they didn't have three weeks ago. That matters more than politics.