Overview
- Authorities identify the suspect as Howell Gene Penton of Picayune, Mississippi, accused of approaching a mother at the Angie Auction House in Washington Parish.
- Investigators say they opened the case on Nov. 26 and ran an undercover operation on Nov. 29 that resulted in Penton’s arrest without incident.
- Penton is charged with sale of minor children and is being held at the Washington Parish Jail in Franklinton on a $200,000 bond.
- Officials have not disclosed further details about the alleged interaction, and court proceedings remain pending.
- The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office at 985-839-3434.