St. Landry Parish Sheriff's deputies arrested a sex offender they say was handing out candy at a church on Halloween.
Frederick Bias Jr., 44, was booked with unlawful presence of a sex offender, and distribution of candy on a holiday by a sex offender. No bond has been set for his release.
Bias is a sex offender because he was convicted in 2007 of aggravated crime against nature on a victim younger than five years. He was sentenced to eight years in prison, and was released from prison in 2015. He's been living in Opelousas, Sheriff Bobby J. Guidroz said.
A couple days before Halloween, the sheriff told us he would have a special detail out, checking to be sure no sex offenders were violation the law that prohibits them from handing out candy on Halloween or any other holiday. You can read that story here.
On Halloween, deputies on that special detail found Bias with several children at an Opelousas-area church. He allegedly walked out of a room with a bowl of candy and offered it to the deputies. That was caught on their body cams, and arrested him, the sheriff says.
“Sex offender laws are in place to protect our children. This detail was a success, and I will continue to enforce these laws during the holiday season," Guidroz said.