A 35-year-old Lacombe man has been arrested in connection with a four-month-long child exploitation case after a referral by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). In a Thursday media release, Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) said its Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) team began investigating the man in April. ALERT said ICE took the case over from the FBI, which was investigating a Telegram user sharing child sexual exploitation materials on the platform. “The internet is borderless and, likewise, ICE agencies from across the globe routinely share information related to offenders with the goal of protecting children,” ALERT Const. Mackenzie Jordan said in a media release. Graham St. Thomas was arrested on Sept. 16 by ICE and ALERT agents after his Lacombe home was searched and multiple computers and electronic devices were seized. St. Thomas was charged with distributing, possessing and accessing child sexual abuse and exploitation materials. He was released on conditions and was scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 29.
