Calgary trio among 18 Albertans facing child pornography charges

Internet exploitation unit reports rise in arrests as virus keeps people home

Three Calgarians are among 18 Albertans arrested for offences related to online child exploitation.

The group, all facing charges of child pornography, were taken into custody between May 20 and June 23 by the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit.

“Online child exploitation victimizes our most vulnerable and is a crime against an entire society that’s built around nurturing our children and keeping them safe,” said Alberta Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer in a statement.

“Identifying and arresting the perpetrators who prey on children is complex and challenging work and I commend the investigators of ALERT’S ICE unit for their tireless dedication to this grim, but absolutely necessary duty.”

The arrests come after ICE reported a record number of intakes in March, at 243 reported instances of online child exploitation.

This far exceeds the two-year average of about 110.

Supt. Dwayne Lakusta, CEO of ALERT, said this level of activity is “unparalleled” in the existence of the specialized unit.

“ICE is working incredibly hard to put predators behind bars, but we need parents to do their part and be vigilant of their kids’ online activities,” said Lakusta in a statement.

Overall, there is a 65 per cent increase in incidents so far in 2020 over 2019 and arrests are up 34 per cent, said Glenn Cook with ALERT.

He said COVID-19 isolation and digital dependency are likely playing a role in the rise of investigation referrals, with more children and perpetrators online. Three Calgary men facing charges are 21-year-old Keone Friesen, 45-year-old George Power and 61-year-old Richard Mccleary.

The remaining suspects include five from Edmonton, three from Lethbridge, two each from Grande Prairie and Sherwood Park and one each from Airdrie, Red Deer and Frog Lake.

There are no known links between the 18 men, charged with 65 offences between them, said ALERT.

ICE is an integrated team including RCMP members and police from Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat.

The unit investigates offences related to child pornography, computer-related child sexual abuse, child luring over the internet, child sex trafficking and tourism and voyeurism.

We need parents to do their part and be vigilant of their kids’ online activities.

SUPT. DWAYNE LAKUSTA