Three Windsor-Essex men charged in province-wide child exploitation bust
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:
- Possession of Child Pornography x2
- Accessing Child Pornography x2
- Distribution of Child Pornography x2
- His next court date is Dec. 7, 2022.
A 45-year-old Amherstburg man has been charged with:
- Luring a person under 16 x4
His next court date is Jan. 13, 2023
A 27-year-old Windsor man is charged with:
- Possession of Child Pornography x6
- Accessing Child Pornography x6
His next court date is Dec. 1, 2022
A 36-year-old Chatham man was charged with:
- Possession of Child Pornography
- Distribution of Child Pornography x2
- Failing to Comply with Release Order
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.