A 24-year-old man from Innisfail has been arrested and charged after a vigilant mother discovered inappropriate material on her teenage son’s social media account.
Sgt. Lori Eiler of the Innisfail RCMP says an investigation was launched into child luring and sexual assault allegations on Thursday, August 18 after the alarmed parent of a 13-year-old boy reported the disturbing discovery.
As a result of the investigation, 24-year-old Nathan Pixley of Innisfail was arrested in Caroline, Alberta the same day the allegations surfaced.
Eiler says the accused and the victim are believed to have had inappropriate, physical interactions. RCMP have not released the hometown of the victim in order to protect the teenager's identity.
Pixley made his first court appearance on Friday in Red Deer Provincial Court in connection with charges including:
- Sexual assault
- Distributing sexually explicit material to a child
- Luring a person under 16 years by means of telecommunication
- Sexual interference
- Invitation to sexual touching
- Failing to comply with a probation order (three counts)
The accused remains in custody and is scheduled to next appear in court on September 14.
Eiler says the RCMP wants parents to talk to their children about the dangers of social media and credits the victim’s mother for taking proactive steps to protect her son.
