Sexual exploitation charges laid against Airdrie, Alta., man
Authorities say an Airdrie, Alta., man faces several charges related to the sexual exploitation of a young family member.
The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team's (ALERT) Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit said the suspect was arrested on Jan. 19 following the search of an Airdrie home.
They did not say how old the child victim was.
The 26-year-old man cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, but has been charged with:
- Sexual assault;
- Sexual interference;
- Invitation to sexual touching;
- Making child pornography;
- Accessing child pornography; and
- Possession of child pornography.
ALERT says the charges come after investigators were told the suspect was uploading suspected child exploitation materials to the Internet via social media.
A search of a home resulted in the seizure of several computers and electronic devices. Forensic technicians conducted a preliminary analysis and found images, believed to depict sexual abuse, on the suspect's phone.
They add the victim's mother was unaware of the abuse.
"You can appreciate the trauma this family is experiencing right now. It was a great relief to our team to end this abuse," said Det. Erin Penner with ALERT's ICE unit in a statement.
The victim and family members are being offered support through the Luna Child and Youth Advocacy Centre and Airdrie Victim Services. Alberta Children's Services is also involved.
Investigators say parents should always be aware of their children's activities online and watch for any warning signs.
"In regards to medical distress, injuries, not wanting to be with whoever the family member may be, may not want to go out and visit with anybody," said Det. Dean Jacobs with ALERT in an interview with CTV News.
"They may not want to have that alone time that they normally would. You might see some changes in their personality and what they usually do."
Jacobs says child exploitation is a big issue in Alberta, Canada and the world.
"We can't arrest ourselves out of this. We need help from family members, if they see something, they need to report it right away and at least get there to save the child.
"These are our kids and they need to be protected. Some of them can't speak for themselves so, as adults, we need to do that and protect our kids."
The suspect is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 16.
Airdrie is located approximately 20 minutes north of Calgary.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.