Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana – The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender Unit has apprehended four convicted sex offenders who failed to comply with their sex offender registration requirements between August 21 and 27.
Quincy M. Edwards, Jr., 27, of Lake Charles, Louisiana was arrested on three counts of unlawful presence of a sex offender. An investigation revealed that he was within 1,000 feet of a protected entity, such as a school, park, daycare, or library, on three separate occasions. Edwards was previously convicted of indecent behavior with a juvenile in 2022 in Allen Parish.
Johnny R. Simmons, 54, of Lake Charles, Louisiana was arrested for failure to register as a sex offender after an investigation revealed that he moved from Avoyelles Parish to Calcasieu Parish and failed to notify law enforcement of his new address within three days. Simmons has a history of violent crimes, having been previously convicted of forcible rape in 1992 and simple rape in 2006, both in Avoyelles Parish.
Lawrence L. Gradnigo, 60, of Vinton, Louisiana was arrested on four counts of failure to register as a sex offender (second offense) and three counts of failure to register and pay fees. An investigation revealed that he missed three annual registrations and failed to pay the associated fees. Gradnigo was previously convicted of sexual battery in 2000 in Calcasieu Parish and failure to register in 2019 in Calcasieu Parish.
Kevin R. Smith, 61, of Lake Charles, Louisiana was arrested for failure to register and pay fees after an investigation revealed that he failed to pay his sex offender registration community notification fees. Smith was previously convicted of indecent behavior with a juvenile in 2022 in Calcasieu Parish.
All four offenders were arrested and booked into the Calcasieu Correctional Center. The lead investigators on these cases are CPSO Detectives John Liptak, Lisa Trahan, and Leonard Crawford.
An arrest is an indication that probable cause exists to believe the subject was involved in the offense alleged. All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.