Sheriff Sam Craft of the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office announced the Feb. 12 arrest of William Robert Sims, 43 of Leesville, following an extensive cyber investigation conducted by the VPSO Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

According to VPSO, detectives received a cyber tip from the Louisiana ICAC Task Force through the Louisiana Department of Justice regarding an individual believed to be downloading child sexual abuse material within Vernon Parish.

Investigators immediately began obtaining search warrants related to the tip. Those warrants were served to social media platforms and internet service providers as part of the investigation.

Over several weeks, investigators received information from the warrants that identified Sims as the individual allegedly using a popular internet messaging site to obtain and download child sexual abuse material.

Sims was taken into custody at his residence without incident. Detectives also executed a search warrant at the home at the time of the arrest and collected items of evidence, which will be transferred to the Louisiana State Police for forensic examination.

Sims was booked into the Vernon Parish jail on three counts of possession of child pornography. Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing and additional criminal charges are expected.

Sheriff Craft noted that the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office entered into an investigative partnership agreement with the Louisiana Department of Justice and ICAC in 2025 to combat cyber crimes against children. He stated that the safety and well-being of children remains a top priority and that the agency will continue to aggressively investigate cases involving the exploitation of minors.