A 73-year-old man was apprehended on November 29 in Washington Parish after allegedly attempting to purchase a 10-month-old girl at the Angie Auction House. The arrest followed an undercover operation initiated by the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office in collaboration with the Angie Police Department. The suspect, identified as Howell Gene Penton, was taken into custody without any reported injuries or incidents.
The investigation began on November 26 when the Sheriff’s Office was alerted about the alleged solicitation at the auction house, located near the Mississippi border. According to authorities, Penton approached a woman at the auction and expressed interest in buying her infant daughter. Following this, local law enforcement set up a controlled meeting which led to Penton’s arrest.
The exact amount of money discussed during the alleged transaction has not been disclosed by officials. Similarly, the specific charges recommended for the prosecutors and whether the initial contact was recorded on surveillance video have not been made public. The mother and the infant involved in the incident were unharmed, according to deputies.
The undercover operation was described as standard procedure for cases involving the reported sale of a minor. The investigation involved documenting witness statements, collecting any available phone communications, and searching the property for video evidence. The time of the initial solicitation inside the auction house has not been released.
The auction house is located along Louisiana Highway 21, a two-lane road that runs through Angie, a village in Washington Parish approximately 60 miles north of New Orleans. The case file is expected to be forwarded to prosecutors after the completion of interviews and evidence reviews.
Angie is known for its weekend auctions that attract residents from both sides of the state line. The case was handled by deputies from the Special Investigations Unit, a team that typically deals with crimes against children, internet-based exploitation, and undercover operations. As of Wednesday, no additional suspects have been announced, and it remains unclear whether anyone else at the auction was involved in the alleged transaction.
In Washington Parish, felony arrests typically proceed to a district court judge for bond setting and initial charge approval before being reviewed by the district attorney’s office. If charges are accepted, a bill of information is filed and court dates for arraignment are set. The Sheriff’s Office stated that the investigation remains open while lab work, record checks, and supplemental interviews are completed.
The incident has shocked the small rural village of nearly 200 residents. Despite the unsettling news, the auction house continues to operate, with trucks and trailers arriving for scheduled sales. The Sheriff’s Office has assured that there is no ongoing threat at the auction house and that the reported incident involved a single child and family. The suspect remains in custody pending a bond decision, with an initial court appearance expected once prosecutors review the booking paperwork and confirm the charges.