Sex offender may be linked to crimes in Morgan City

A 67-year-old Florida man, arrested May 29 and charged with the aggravated rape of a teenage girl that occurred 30 years ago in Port Sulphur, is believed to have committed sex crimes across the Gulf Coast, including the Morgan City area, Plaquemines Parish Sheriff Lonnie Greco said in a news release.
Joseph Gable Wood Sr., 67, of the 2600 block of Laurie Avenue in Panama City, Florida, was extradited to Plaquemines Parish May 29 from the Blackwater River Correctional Facility in Milton, Florida. Wood had refused extradition in 2014 after detectives obtained an arrest warrant for him May 12, 2014.
Plaquemines Parish authorities were granted a governor’s warrant to bring him back to Plaquemines. A hold was placed on Wood as he was facing child sex abuse charges in Florida.
The Plaquemine Parish Sheriff’s Office believes Wood committed additional sex crimes. Possible victims may be in the Gulf Coast region, particularly in the areas of Pascagoula, Mississippi, Panama City, Florida, Morgan City and Plaquemines Parish.
Other victims or individuals with information are urged to contact Detective Sgt. Aaron Verrette at 504-564-2525 or 504-297-5277, or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or toll free at 877-903-STOP.
St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office Spokeswoman Traci Landry said detectives are looking back through case files to see if that office received any complaints in which Wood could possibly be a suspect.
Any victims or anyone with information on possible crimes should contact the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office, Landry said. The St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office can be reached at 985-384-1622 or 337-828-1960.
Crimestoppers is offering a reward up to $2,500 for information. Callers do not have to give their name or testify to receive the cash reward. Tips can also be emailed at www.crimestoppersgno.org, texted by dialing 274637 (CRIMES) and text TellCS then your crime information, or via the Crimestoppers Mobile App TipSubmit.
“Hopefully, this child sexual predator will not have another opportunity to prey on victims,” Greco said in the news release.
“He took advantage of innocent children who looked up to him, and it should have never occurred. While there is no way to change what happened, victims can seek justice and help stop it from happening to someone else. Every time we lock up a sexual predator, we are preventing them from committing another attack. It’s the most effective way that exists to prevent future sexual abuse. We implore other victims to contact us.”
According to the U.S. Justice Department’s 2006-10 National Crime Victimization Survey, 54 percent of sexual assaults don’t get reported to law enforcement agencies.
On March 7, 2014, the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office initiated an investigation into sex crimes committed by Wood after he was reported to have repeatedly sexually abused and raped a victim throughout her childhood. The crimes began when the victim was 5 years old and lasted until she was 14.
During the investigation, a detective learned that the abuse started in 1975 when Wood lived in Pascagoula, Mississippi. In 1977, he moved to Clarence Lane in Port Sulphur, where the abuse got worse. After each occurrence, Wood threatened the victim by telling her to keep her mouth shut and that he would kill her if she mentioned the abuse to anyone.
In April 1985, Wood forced the victim to have sex with him at an abandoned fishing camp in Plaquemines Parish. Evidence obtained by detectives linked Wood to that crime.
On May 12, 2014, a detective obtained an arrest warrant on Wood for the crimes of aggravated rape and other sex crime-related charges.
On May 29, 2015, Wood was extradited from Milton, Florida and booked into the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office Detention Center.
Wood appeared in the 25th Judicial District Court on June 1 for a magistrate hearing. He was held without bail pending a bond hearing that was scheduled today.
Wood remains in the custody of the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office. If found guilty of the crimes, he could possibly be sentenced to life in prison.
According to his criminal history record, Wood has been convicted twice of sex crimes in Florida and is a registered sex offender, the release stated.