PONCHATOULA, La. — A Louisiana State Police Trooper honored as Trooper of the Year in 2018 was formally charged Wednesday for sharing child pornography.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that 41-year-old Jason Boyet was charged with one count of distribution of images depicting the sexual exploitation of children, including some as young as 3-years-old.
Prosecutors say if convicted Boyet faces between five to 20 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. He can also be required to register as a sex offender.
Boyet was originally booked on charges of production of child pornography, but he was not charged with that crime.
The FBI and LSP Special Victims Unit opened an investigation earlier this year after a suspect, later identified as Boyet, allegedly produced and shared pornographic images on an unnamed online application. Troopers say agents identified Boyet as the online user and arrested him after an interview.
According to the affidavit written by another state trooper, Boyet "admitted to sending pornographic photographs of (redacted) and sharing the photographs on the (redacted) application from his cellular phone. Additionally, he admitted to having received pornographic images of other young children."
Sources tell WWL-TV that investigators raided Boyet's Ponchatoula home during the investigation.
Immediately following the arrest Boyet was placed on administrative leave. He had been employed by LSP since 2006. In Feb. 2018, he was recognized as “Louisiana State Police Troop L Trooper of the Year” according to a 2018 state police Facebook post. He previously served in the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia State Patrol.
Boyet remains in custody at the St. Charles Parish Nelson Coleman Correctional Center without bond.
LSP Troop L encompasses St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes.
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