Child porn investigation leads to arrest of 18-year-old southern Alberta man

CALGARY — An 18-year-old man from a small town in southern Alberta is facing charges of distributing child pornography

Police received a tip in early March that a man had distributed pornographic images to an underage female.

An investigation involving the Bassano and Brooks RCMP detachments, as well as the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team Internet Child Exploitation unit (ALERT ICE) unit identified several victims, both male and female between the ages of 14 and 16.

A search warrant was executed and an 18-year-old man from Newell County was arrested.

He is facing numerous charges, including:

He was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in Brooks provincial court on May 5.

The identity of the accused is not being released to protect the identity of the underage victims.

“Bassano RCMP has been proactive in engaging with all its areas schools regarding internet safety before this incident was reported. In response to this occurrence, we have held another virtual session with our schools and will continue this in future,” said Cpl. Sebastian Andrews, Bassano RCMP detachment commander.

“We urge parents to monitor their children’s online activity and to access the resources at www.cybertip.ca for information and resources on how to help keep children safe online.”

Anyone with information about online child exploitation offences is encouraged to contact Bassano RCMP at 403-641-3677, local police, www.cybertip.ca or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.