I-TEAM: Temporary restraining order granted against BRPD officer following Brave Cave allegations

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - A Baton Rouge Police Department officer is no longer working as a school resource officer after being accused of strip searching and sexual battery of an 11-year-old inside the Brave Cave. BRPD officer Joseph Carboni stopped working extra duty at Idea Bridge Academy in Baton Rouge after the WAFB I-TEAM has learned a judge granted a temporary restraining order, forcing the officer to stay away from the 11-year-old.

Under the order, officer Carboni is not allowed to be within 100 yards of the alleged victim and he also cannot make contact with him at all. This is important because Carboni worked at the school where the 11-year-old is a student. The WAFB I-TEAM first reported on the latest allegations out of the Brave Cave last month.

RELATED: I-TEAM: Federal lawsuit details new Brave Cave sexual assault allegations

In a federal lawsuit filed in February, Carboni was listed among the officers who raided a home on Aster Street in Baton Rouge before allegedly taking a mother and her three sons to the Brave Cave back in June 2023. It was inside the facility where attorneys say the officer strip-searched and touched the 11-year-old boy’s private area. Attorneys say the temporary restraining order was necessary so to protect the young boy from encountering the same officer again.

“Under Louisiana law, children have to go to school. It’s a compulsory process but as well, children have a constitutional right to a safe and civil environment to make sure that they have the best opportunity to achieve high academic success,” said Attorney Ryan Thompson. “Clearly if this officer who violated this 11-year-old is in that environment as a school resource officer, then that’s being impeded. So we believe that this officer who we believe abused his discretion and who we believe did commit this criminal act against this 11-year-old needs to be restrained from being around that 11-year-old to ensure that doesn’t happen again but to ensure that his constitutional rights are protected.”

A spokesman with BRPD confirms officer Carboni was hired by Idea Bridge Academy to work extra duty and because of this investigation, he has stopped working at the school. The spokesman adds that the school will need to hire another officer to take over as the school resource officer.

Click here to report a typo.

Copyright 2024 WAFB. All rights reserved.