Former Louisiana cop, faces child sex charges, caught after chase in York County
A fugitive and former Louisiana deputy wanted for sex crimes against children has been caught in York County after a chase by police, officials in South Carolina and Louisiana said.
Todd Eric Tripp, 31, was captured by York County deputies and a Louisiana State Police fugitive task force early Tuesday between York and McConnells, said Trent Faris, spokesman for the York County Sheriff’s Office.
Tripp was located after a tip to Louisiana police and South Carolina officers, Faris said.
Tripp ran from a home on Dan Sexton road when police arrived, according to sheriff’s office documents. Patrol deputies and K-9 units caught Tripp after a foot chase in the rural area, deputies said.
It remains unclear why Tripp was in York County. York County deputies who investigate child sex crimes were notified, and the investigation remains ongoing, Faris said.
Tripp was wanted in connection with five crimes in Louisiana from September involving child sex, according to deputies in Ascension Parish. Louisiana deputies said Tripp used a false name to engage a male juvenile child over social media and at least three times sexually assaulted a victim.
Tripp faces Louisiana charges of carnal knowledge of a juvenile, computer-aided solicitation of a minor, and unlawful use or access of social media, according to police and court records.
Tripp was a deputy in Ascension Parish in Gonzalez, La., until 2013 when he was first arrested on child sex crimes, according to Deputy Allison Hudson of the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office. Tripp was convicted in 2017 of sex crimes against children, court and police records show.
Tripp is a registered sex offender in Louisiana who was released from prison in late 2019, Hudson said. Tripp is on probation in Louisiana, Hudson said.
Tripp is being held without bail at the York County jail, pending extradition to Louisiana, according to Hudson.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
This story was originally published October 6, 2020 at 1:27 PM.
