Former LPO paraprofessional arrested, sexual abuse

SANDPOINT — A former Sandpoint resident and Lake Pend Oreille School District employee was arrested earlier this month on allegations of sexual abuse. 

Luc-Edner Pierrot, 46, was arrested in late August in Gwinnett County, Georgia, after a nationwide warrant was issued out of Bonner County for his arrest on two counts of lewd conduct with a minor under 16.  

Both charges carry a penalty of up to life in prison and a $50,000 fine.  

Pierrot is in custody at the Bonner County Jail on a $750,000 bail. According to court documents, his high bail stems from several factors, including that prosecutors did not know his location and worried about his access to children and vulnerable populations as both a counselor and pastor.  

Bonner County prosecutors also viewed his strong ties to Haiti as a reason to believe he was a flight risk.  

After the warrant was issued in mid-June, Pierrot was arrested in Georgia on Aug. 25 and extradited to Bonner County in mid-September.    

The charges indicate that Pierrot committed the alleged crimes between 2017 and 2019. At the time, Pierrot worked for the Lake Pend Oreille School District as a custodian before moving to a special education paraprofessional role at Sandpoint Middle School. Payroll reports note that he was employed with the district until the upcoming school year.  

Information on the charges is sealed to the public, but it indicates the girl involved was between the ages of 12 and 14 during the alleged abuse.  

He is expected to appear in court Sept. 30 for a preliminary hearing, where a judge will determine if there's sufficient evidence to charge Pierrot with the felonies.