Athletic director of Louisiana private school accused of child sex crimes

GRAND COTEAU, LA (WAFB) - The athletic director of a private school in St. Landry Parish has been accused of several internet crimes against children, according to Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry.

Mark Aune, 51 of Opelousas, was arrested for attempted production of sexual abuse images/videos of children, indecent behavior with a juvenile, and computer-aided solicitation of a minor.

Aune was listed as the athletic director on the website of Berchmans Academy of the Sacred Heart, located in Grand Coteau, LA. Landry said in a news release that Aune was also a basketball coach.

The school issued the following statement Wednesday morning about Aune's arrest:

Schools of the Sacred Heart, Grand Coteau was surprised to learn of the recent arrest of one of its employees. The school had no knowledge of the alleged conduct giving rise to the arrest and charges and, thankfully, has no information that any of our students were involved. Under the circumstances, the employee will have no association with our school moving forward.  We are not at liberty to discuss any further details relating to this matter and defer any further inquiries to the applicable law enforcement agencies.

We are extremely proud of our nearly 200-year legacy of teaching young people who have benefited from an outstanding education immersed in faith and integrity, and we will continue to serve our students and families in a manner that merits our exemplary reputation.

Landry said in a news release that Aune was arrested and booked into the St. Landry Parish Jail following a joint investigation between Landry's Cyber Crime Unit, Homeland Security Investigations, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the St. Landry Sheriff's Office.

Special agents with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation Cyber Crime Unit responded to a request from Texas Department of Public Safety for assistance in an investigation that was initiated in Texas.

"As a father, I am affected by all crimes involving the exploitation of Louisiana's children," Landry said in a news release. "This is why my office and I are dedicated to bringing child predators to justice."

Copyright 2017 WAFB. All rights reserved.