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
New one-and-done therapy can help curb severe COVID-19 infection: Canadian-led study
A Canadian-led study of a new potential antiviral therapy shows a single dose can help cut the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19.

Are video games good for kids' brains or bad for them? New research suggests the answer is 'neither'
A small new study has found that neither the frequency of daily gaming reported by pre-teen children nor the specific video game genres they chose to play were linked with their performance on a standardized cognitive tests.
Canada deploys military assessment team to Turkiye after earthquake
Canada deployed a disaster assessment team to Turkey on Wednesday in the wake of a devastating earthquake that's killed thousands, as the federal government faced criticism that the window to help with rescue efforts was closing.
'It was a nightmare': 2 children dead, driver charged after city bus crashes into Laval daycare
Two four-year-old children are dead and a man has been charged with first-degree murder after a driver crashed a city bus into a daycare in Laval, Que. Wednesday morning. The driver, 51-year-old Pierre Ny St-Amand, was arrested at the scene and faces two counts of first-degree murder and several other charges.
Alphabet shares dive after Google AI chatbot Bard flubs answer in ad
Alphabet Inc. lost US$100 billion in market value on Wednesday after its new chatbot shared inaccurate information in a promotional video and a company event failed to dazzle, feeding worries that the Google parent is losing ground to rival Microsoft.
opinion | Before you do your taxes, take note of these tax credits and deductions you may not have known about
Many Canadians are experiencing strains caused by the increased cost of living and inflation. In his exclusive column for CTVNews.ca, contributor Christopher Liew shares some of the top credits and deductions that you may be able to claim on your income tax return to help you save money.
Indigo payment systems, online store down after 'cybersecurity incident'
Indigo's payment systems and online store are down after a 'cybersecurity incident,' the company announced on Wednesday evening.
Netflix Canada begins password sharing crackdown
Netflix Canada is rolling out its long-anticipated plans to crack down on password sharing, saying it will begin notifying Canadian users today by email about limitations.
Tyre Nichols documents: Officer never explained stop to him
The officer who pulled Tyre Nichols from his car before police fatally beat him never explained why he was being stopped, newly released documents show, and emerging reports from Memphis residents suggest that was common.