A man from the Olds area has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting his three-year-old daughter and involving her in child pornography.
An investigation was launched in October 2017 after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children came forward with information about a suspect in Alberta who was sharing child pornography via social media.
“Back in October 2017, we got information that a person was downloading numerous child pornography images and videos onto their social media account,” said S/Sgt. Dave Louie from ICE.
The 32-year-old man was arrested on January 4 and a number of computers and electronic devices were seized.
A digital forensic expert from ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit examined the devices and found photos that appeared to show the suspect’s daughter being sexually assaulted.
“The allegations are very disturbing, anytime you have a child involved, it’s hard to accept that when a young child is involved,” said Louie.
The suspect was re-arrested on January 13 and additional charges were laid including:
- Sexual assault
- Sexual interference
- Sexual exploitation
- Making child pornography
- Possessing child pornography
- Accessing child pornography
- Distributing child pornography
Investigators say photos of the little girl were not believed to be distributed online.
“The child is with her biological mother,” said Louie. “As of right now, the investigation is still ongoing so I can’t say for sure if there will be further charges coming.”
Police are not naming the suspect to protect the identity of the child and say she is receiving help from support services.
