Pornography case involves two Sarnia children

U.S. investigator recognizes school crest in videos

SARNIA A pair of Sarnia children lured into pornography were rescued by tracking that began with an American investigator zeroing in on a Sarnia-area school crest on a shirt in one of the images.

It all began Saturday, when Sarnia police were contacted by an investigator with a task force in Kansas that fights internet crime against children, Sarnia police Const. Giovanni Sottosanti said.

Sarnia police were told pornographic videos of young children had been allegedly uploaded by a known sex offender in Kansas.

Sgt. Jeff Swanson, commander of the Kansas task force, said it received a lead from a cyber tip line at the U.S. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about images uploaded to the Internet.

An investigator at the task force saw a symbol for a school on a shirt in some of the images.

“She conducted an online investigation, attempting to identify that symbol, and that ultimately led to the identification of the children in Sarnia,” Swanson said.

Swanson credits Sarnia police for doing “all the leg work” after receiving the information from the task force.

“The immediate response by the officials in Sarnia was absolutely amazing,” he said. “The fact that the notification was made in Canada and the children were recovered almost immediately ... I just cannot compliment the authorities there enough.”

Sottosanti said the two children, both under age 16, and their families have since received support from Sarnia-Lambton Children’s Aid, Sarnia-Lambton Victim Services and city police.

“We don’t know exactly how long it had been going on, but we do know that it wasn’t a very longlived crime,” he added.

No other information about the children, including their ages, is being released by police and no charges have been laid in Sarnia as part of the investigation.

Swanson said the case remains an active investigation in the U.S.

The case underscores the dangers young people can face online, and the need for parents to address it with their children, Sottosanti said.

“The parents have to monitor what their children are doing, whether they’re three years old or 16 years old,” he said. “These criminals that do this, they’re very persuasive.”

OPP Sgt. Chrystal Jones said that along with providing learning and communications opportunities for young people, the online world opens the door “to predators that would exploit and abuse young people.”

That’s why the OPP encourages parents and guardians to educate themselves about the dangers and monitor what children are doing online, she said.

The OPP’s suggestions for parents include being involved and aware of their child’s online activity, as well as making sure children are cautious about what they post and when they use social media and video cameras.

Jones said parents should ensure webcams are disconnected when not in use, and remind children to protect their passwords, and not share them with friends.

Jones added parents should “know their child’s online friends the same way they know friends in real life.”