PIONEER — A West Carroll Parish man man was arrested on over 500 counts of sex crimes against children, including first-degree rape, the office of the attorney general announced on Wednesday. 

Shane Austin Stewart, 33, was arrested on charges of ten counts of first-degree rape, 145 counts of production of child sexual abuse material and 355 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material. Investigators say he is from Pioneer, a small village in West Carroll Parish roughly an hour northeast of Monroe. 

On Sept. 29,  Louisiana Bureau of Investigators Special Agents with the Louisiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force were assisting the West Carroll Parish Sheriff’s Office with an investigation into Stewart for possible crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children.  

Throughout the investigation, it was determined that Stewart allegedly photographed and videoed himself engaged in the rape of at least two children under the age of eight. 

On Sept. 30, Stewart was taken into custody at a local hotel in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. 

Stewart was booked into the Forrest County Jail in Mississippi and was later expedited into the West Carroll Parish Correctional Center.

“My heart breaks for these young victims! This is why the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force exists. Great work by Sheriff Scott Mathews and the West Carroll Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Hattiesburg Police Department, and my Fugitive Apprehension Unit. I have offered my assistance to District Attorney Penny Douciere, and I’m confident he will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Attorney General Murrill said in a prepared statement.

No bond has been set at this time, and the investigation remains ongoing.