(Photo: Quinn Dombrowski | CC Flickr)
A French Quarter tour operator is accused of more than 100 counts involving child pornography after he was arrested last month as the result of a statewide investigation into child sex crimes over the internet.
Charles Howell IV, 61, of Terrytown was booked into Jefferson Parish Correctional Facility Nov. 30 on suspicion of 150 counts of child pornography, according to online records.
Update, Dec. 8, 2020, 9:20 p.m. CST: The Quarter Rat has replaced the original featured image in the story at the request of Haunted History Tours owner Sidney Smith, who confirmed that Howell had once worked for his company in the past before he was fired.
Court records show that Howell was initially arrested on Nov. 24 and booked into Jefferson Parish jail on suspicion of one count of possessing child pornography.
Howell posted $50,000 commercial bond on Nov. 28, but was arrested again two days later, on Nov. 30.
His case has not yet been assigned a judge as of Dec. 8, court records show.
Howell was among at least eight men arrested by agents from the Louisiana Department of Justice’s Cyber Crimes Unit following a joint investigation between state and local law enforcement agencies, including the state Bureau of Investigation and Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, according to Attorney General Jeff Landry.
Recently, three arrests were announced on Nov. 23; while five, including Howell’s, were announced Nov 30; and another arrest was announced Dec. 7.
“Policies have consequences, and one consequence of the governor’s shutdowns and mandates is an increase of online activity – including internet crimes against children,” Landry said, adding the Cyber Crimes Unit has seen a 200% increase in online sexual predator cases since the COVID-19 health emergency was declared. “While understaffed and overworked, my team and our law enforcement partners continue working tirelessly to find and apprehend criminals who produce, possess, or distribute sexual abuse images and videos of children.”
Known as “Lord Chaz,” Howell conducted ghost and vampire tours throughout the French Quarter. A permit is required to operate as a tour guide in New Orleans.
Howell runs his own walking tour business, Lord Chaz Tours, which has received hundreds of positive reviews on TripAdvisor.
Often claiming to be a vampire, Howell is known for rarely leaving character and his performances have received high reviews among tourism rating sites, including TripAdvisor, which shows his most recent review was posted three weeks ago.
Here’s a 2010 video of Lord Chaz giving a tour: