Man legally named Santa Claus arrested, accused of child exploitation
By Erin Lowrey
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KENNER, Louisiana (WDSU) — A man with the legal name “Santa Claus” was arrested in Kenner and accused of child exploitation.
According to the Kenner Police Department, Santa Claus, 75, of New Orleans, is accused of using a dating app to engage in sexual activity with a boy he believed to be 15 years old.
Police say the boy was actually an undercover detective.
Claus arranged to meet with the boy in Kenner, but when he arrived, he was taken into custody. He was charged with computer-aided solicitation of a minor and indecent behavior with a juvenile.
Police said Claus’ physical appearance took on the persona of the Christmas character, which alarmed investigators due to the nature of the charges against him.
According to Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley, 11 other arrests were made in the child exploitation operation.
“All these defendants are a danger to our youth and society, we preach daily about the vulnerability of our children on social media and gaming platforms and now we have arrested a person who dresses up as Santa Claus, inviting parents to drop their young children in his lap for photo ops, this is a cautionary tale to parents and guardians,” Conley said.
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