City soccer coach faces child porn charges
The arrest of a coach on child pornography charges shocked Calgary’s minor soccer community Friday.
A search warrant executed at a south Calgary residence Thursday by the Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit resulted in the arrest of 42-year-old Brent Bulycz, a coach with the McKenzie United Soccer Club.
He’s facing charges of possessing, accessing and making available child pornography.
Authorities said the investigation began last August after two separate referrals forwarded by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were sent to ICE regarding a Calgary-based suspect uploading child pornography to the Internet.
This led to Thursday’s search warrant and the arrest of Bulycz, in which a number of electronic devices were seized from the home for forensic examination.
McKenzie United Soccer Club president Craig Fallows said his organization was “saddened to the core” about the arrest, and said the Calgary Minor Soccer Association terminated Bulycz from his coaching duties once they learned of the allegations.
Both soccer organizations are co-operating in the investigation, he said.
A statement issued to parents by the Calgary Minor Soccer Association on Friday stated all coaches are required to submit to e-PIC (electronic police information check,) an automated, online criminal record and background check system operated by the Calgary Police Service.
The e-PIC system searches three databases for the existence of records — Calgary police’s internal SENTRY/PIMS system, the JOIN Alberta courts network and the nationwide CPIC database operated by the RCMP.
In addition to McKenzie United Soccer Club, police said Bulycz has previously coached other youth sports organizations in the city.
He was released on a number of imposed conditions that include being barred from any involvement in coaching youth sports, as well as any youth coaching and any contact with children under the age of 18.