The Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) team has rescued two Alberta children under age four from sexual exploitation and arrested a Sylvan Lake man and Edmonton man.
A 37-year-old Sylvan Lake man was arrested and charged with incest, making child pornography, possession of child pornography and accessing child pornography.
A 29-year-old Edmonton man was arrested and charged with sexual assault, sexual interference, two counts of possession of child pornography, making child pornography and distributing child pornography.
The arrests came after an investigation by Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) in Edmonton and Sylvan Lake.
ICE teams conducted separate search warrants on July 19, in Edmonton and Sylvan Lake where the victims were allegedly being sexually assaulted by their fathers.
“These arrests have stopped the abuse, but sadly the recovery process for these young girls will be long and difficult,” said Insp. Dave Brink, ICE. “Thankfully, we have excellent partners that provide enhanced victim support resources,”
To protect the identity of the victims, the names of the suspects won’t be released. Both victims are receiving support from a variety of specialized services, including the Zebra Child Protection Centre and the Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre.
The two cases were unrelated and were launched after receiving referrals from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Both referrals related to social media users possessing child pornography. ICE also received assistance from Alberta Sheriffs, Red Deer RCMP, Alberta Children’s Services and Edmonton Police Service.
Anyone with information about these investigations, or any cases related to child sexual exploitation, is encouraged to come forward and contact police or 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. Members of Calgary Police Service, Edmonton Police Service, Lethbridge Police Service, Medicine Hat Police Service and RCMP work in ALERT.
