Three Windsor-Essex men charged in province-wide child exploitation bust

Province–wide child exploitation bust CTV Windsor's Michelle Maluske has details on 'Project Maverick' that saw police lay 428 charges related to child exploitation across Ont.

Three men from Windsor-Essex and one man from Chatham-Kent were arrested as police laid hundreds of charges in a province-wide child exploitation investigation.

The results of the investigations completed in October, named ‘Project Maverick’, were announced Wednesday in a video release by police showcasing members of the provincial strategy.

During the month, the 27 policing partners, including police in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent, conducted 255 investigations, completed 168 search warrants and seized 1,032 devices. In total, 428 charges were laid against 107 people.

"These numbers are shocking, but they provide hope by showing the lengths our teams are willing to go to protect children. I would like to express gratitude for the hard work of the Provincial Strategy members, and our partners, in keeping children in this province safe and holding those who want to harm them accountable,”said OPP Chief Superintendent Kari Dart, OPP Investigation and Support Bureau.

Here are the local charges:

A 43-year-old Windsor man was charged with:

A 45-year-old Amherstburg man has been charged with:

His next court date is Jan. 13, 2023

A 27-year-old Windsor man is charged with:

His next court date is Dec. 1, 2022

A 36-year-old Chatham man was charged with:

He was remanded in custody, no bail plan in place at this time.

During the investigations across the province, police say 61 victims were identified and referred to appropriate community-based resources for assistance, while an additional 60 children were safeguarded. There are 175 ongoing investigations where additional charges may be laid.

The video outlining the investigation is available on Twitter,  Facebook and YouTube.

The investigations continue and anyone with information on these or any child exploitation investigations are asked to contact their local police. Report any instances of online child abuse to police or cybertip.ca. If a child is being harmed, call 9-1-1.