COVINGTON – A father-son pair of bail bond agents in Tangipahoa and St. Tammany Parishes was arrested in a sex trafficking investigation led by country police and the FBI. According to the Louisiana State Police, 53-year-old James Johnson Jr. was booked on Friday after dealers raided several of his agencies in Covington and Amite. State police said the research began in March after law enforcement received recommendations that Johnson had solicited sexual favors from more than one victim in exchange for wiping out their bond debt. Detectives seized 27 firearms from James Johnson’s residence and agencies, and he turned into arrested at his workplace in Covington Friday morning.
While executing a search warrant at one of the companies in Amite, investigators also determined evidence of pornography involving juveniles. That discovery brought about the arrest of Johnson’s son, 31-yr-vintage Patrick Johnson. James Johnson is charged with two counts of human trafficking, one count of first-degree rape, and one count of sexual battery. Patrick Johnson faces 3 counts of ownership of pornography involving juveniles.
