Convicted sex offender arrested after selling candy along parade route, police say

MORGAN CITY, La. (WAFB) - A convicted sex offender was arrested on Monday, Feb. 20, after officers caught him selling novelty items and candy along a parade route, according to the Morgan City Police Department.

Police said Thomas E. Devaul, 45, of Patterson, was charged with distributing candy or gifts on Halloween and other public holidays by “sex offenders” prohibited; soliciting without a permit; and resisting an officer by false information. He was also charged with failure to register as a sex offender and unlawful presence of a sex offender by the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office.

According to the police department, officers assigned to the Hera Parade route around 7th Street and Marguerite Street approached a man selling novelty items and candy to verify that he had the proper permits.

He did not have a permit and initially provided a false name to them, police said.

The man was eventually identified as Thomas E. Devaul, a convicted sexually violent offender out of New York who had failed to register with the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office when he moved to Patterson, La., investigators explained.

According to officials, Louisiana law prohibits him from distributing anything to children during holidays or events, such as Mardi Gras.

He was booked into the Morgan City Jail.

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