By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Just weeks after being arrested on theft charges, a former St. John Parish Sheriff’s detective is now at the center of an ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual assault, said Sheriff Wayne Jones Thursday.

Jones said he has enlisted the help of State Police to look into accusations from several women who told Sheriff’s Office authorities Sgt. Tommy Young Jr. raped them or other members of their family.

“These are strictly allegations brought forth by the family members of possible victims,” Jones said. “This person came forward after the arrest to report the incident.”

Jones addressed a letter to State Police Superintendent Col. Michael Edmonson on Sept. 9 that requested State Police assistance in the investigation into the sexual assault charges. Jones said it is now up to State Police to determine if further criminal charges against Young are merited based on the information provided by the alleged victims.

Jones said the accusations came to light after Young, 38, was arrested on theft charges for selling Sheriff’s Office property on the online auction site eBay. Young, a nine-year veteran of the St. John Sheriff’s Office who was assigned to the High Tech Crimes Unit, was caught selling laptop computers belonging to the department. He was taken into custody on Aug. 20 and fired the next day.

Jones said Young also is facing additional charges of tampering with evidence and malfeasance in office after authorities discovered several items related to crime investigations inside Young’s home in Slidell. Jones said the items included jewelry from a St. John theft case, pornographic photos and crime scene photos.

Jones said the photos may have been part of Young’s work with the Secret Service’s Electronic and Financial Crimes Task Force. Jones said Young and investigators from other law enforcement agencies spend hours scouring social networking sites seeking out Internet predators.

Young was booked with two counts of theft, two counts of malfeasance in office and one count of tampering with evidence. Jones said Young was recently transferred to the Nelson Coleman Correctional Facility in Killona for his own safety. He is being held on a $200,000 bond.