The Hammond Police Department has arrested a former Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Deputy on one count of Possession of Child Pornography and one count of Malfeasance in Office. HPD reports that 34-year-old Brent Ridder was arrested and booked on August 22, 2024.

Detectives say they were carrying out an unrelated investigation involving Ridder. HPD detectives allegedly found evidence of child pornography on an electronic device belonging to Ridder at some point during the investigation.

The Office of the Attorney General, HPD, and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation carried out search warrants on Ridder’s residence and found other electronic devices. Those devices were seized.

Ridder was booked into the Hammond Police Department Jail. Sheriff Gerald Sticker immediately put Ridder on administrative leave ordering him to surrender his uniforms, gear, and unit upon notification.

The Sheriff explained that Ridder had been with the agency for six years. He was terminated from TPSO after being booked into HPD Jail and moved to the Tangipahoa Parish Jail.