February 19, 2021
Child rescued in cross-border investigation

Calgary… A 37-year-old Fort St. John man has been arrested by ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation unit for allegedly offending upon his daughter.

Following up on a tip, that was initially submitted to the Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) team based in Calgary, investigators were able to identify a B.C. suspect allegedly uploading child sexual abuse materials online. Further investigation revealed the photos were of the suspect’s young daughter.

ICE alleges that the suspect had been distributing the photos to another user online. The suspect was arrested on February 8, 2021.

“Our primary concern was the health and well-being of that child. Once we received that tip, our investigators sprang into action and made an arrest as quickly as possible,” said Sgt. Randy Poon, ALERT ICE.

“These types of crimes don’t respect borders or boundaries. The cooperation and enforcement between partners needs to be seamless and this file is an example of the efforts underway to detect, deter and investigate child exploitation files,” said Cpl. Madonna Saunderson, RCMP B.C. North District.

Law enforcement from across Canada, including ICE, the Calgary Police Service, Fort St. John RCMP, RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre, and United States’ National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, collaborated on the investigation.

The suspect’s name is not being released in order to protect the identity of the victim. The victim and family members are receiving help from a variety of specialized support services, and children’s services is involved.

A number of computer and electronic devices were seized for forensic analysis. ICE’s investigation is ongoing.

The 37-year-old man has been charged with:

• Making child pornography;
• Distributing child pornography;
• Possessing child pornography;
• Accessing child pornography; and
• Several firearms offences.

Anyone with information about this case or any child exploitation situation is asked to contact their local police or to report their concern anonymously at www.cybertip.ca.

ALERT was established and is funded by the Alberta Government and is a compilation of the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources committed to tackling serious and organized crime.

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