Louisiana State Police SVU Rape Suspect Arrested in US Virgin Islands, Extradited to Louisiana

Published July 7, 2020

From LSP – On Monday, July 6, 2020, Troopers from the Louisiana State Police Special Victims Unit in New Orleans with assistance from the US Marshals Service and local law enforcement in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, extradited 27-year-old Joseph William Haidler from the St. Thomas Bureau of Corrections USVI to Covington. Haidler was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail for multiple felony charges related to the rape and sexual assault of a minor, which occurred in St. Tammany Parish.

Troopers began an extensive investigation in May 2020, which determined that Haidler traveled to St. Tammany Parish in December 2019. On at least two separate occasions, Haidler, using an alias, solicited a minor victim for sexual acts, photographs, and videos through a popular social media application. Haidler then picked the victim up from her home and transported her to a location nearby, where he raped her.

Troopers obtained an arrest warrant in St. Tammany Parish, and the US Marshals Service arrested Haidler in St. John, US Virgin Islands in early June. Haidler was extradited back to St. Tammany Parish where he was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail with two counts each of trafficking of a child for sexual purposes, third-degree rape, aggravated kidnapping, and computer-aided solicitation of a minor.

The LSP Special Victims Unit works tirelessly to rescue and seek justice for the victims of crimes involving the exploitation of children and the trafficking of humans for sex or labor. In this case, Troopers partnered with the Children’s Advocacy Center-Hope House. The Hope House is a child-centered environment where families in St. Tammany and Washington Parish can get the help they need after abuse has been reported. They provide a path to recovery and a bridge to justice for victims of abuse. For more information, please visit https://www.cachopehouse.org/.

If anyone has additional information on this case or has been the victim of sex or labor trafficking in the Greater New Orleans area, please contact the Louisiana State Police Special Victims Unit at 504-310-7012.

Contact Information:
Sgt. Dustin Dwight
Louisiana State Police
Public Affairs Section