On September 24,United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr., sentenced Denham Springs Softball Umpire, Leeroy Sidney Hymel III to 135 months in Federal prison for Receipt of Child Pornography after his June 30, 2026, guilty plea.
According to court documents, Hymel was a softball umpire for a tournament for players 16 and under. Beginning around May 20, 2024, Hymel began to send lewd and lascivious pictures and videos of himself engaging in sexual acts to a minor female player. Records show Hymel enticed the victim to reciprocate and send similar explicit pictures and videos of herself through social media applications.
“Mr. Hymel’s sentencing is yet another reminder to parents that predators can unfortunately turn up anywhere, including even our softball fields,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller. “No prison term can undo the harm Mr. Hymel has caused, but this investigation, prosecution, and resulting sentence send a clear message to those who would prey upon our children: we will find you, we will charge you, and you will be looking at a lengthy prison sentence.”
Homeland Security Investigations and Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated this case. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Richmond Stelly with assistance from Legal Assistant Kimberly Blanchard.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
