PERSON CHARGED WITH CHILD LURING
CHAPLEAU, ON – On May 30, 2019, members of the Chapleau Detachment of the Superior East Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a report of sexually explicit images being received by youth through social media.
On November 19, 2019, members of the Haldimand County Detachment of the OPP, with the assistance of the OPP Child Sexual Exploitation Unit, executed a search warrant at a residence in Haldimand County, Ontario. The accused person was located in a motor vehicle at approximately 5:00 p.m. and placed under arrest.
As a result of the investigation, Caleb SMITH, a 24-year-old person, from Haldimand County, Ontario, was charged with the following:
- Luring a Person Under 16 years of age by means of Telecommunication (Eight Counts), contrary to section 172.1(1)(b) of the Criminal Code (CC),
- Luring a Person Under 18 years of age by means of Telecommunication (Three Counts), contrary to section 172.1(1)(a) of the CC,
- Transmit Sexually Explicit Material to a Person Under 18 years of age, contrary to section 171.1(1)(a) of the CC,
- Make Sexually Explicit Material Available to a Person under 16 years of age (Two Counts), contrary to section 171.1(1)(b) of the CC,
- Indecent Exposure to a Person Under 16 years of age (Two Counts), contrary to section 173(2) of the CC,
- Communicate with anyone under 18 years of age for purpose of obtaining sexual services, contrary to section 286.1(2) of the CC.
The accused was released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice on February 10, 2020, in Chapleau, Ontario.
The victims in this case ranged from 13-17 years of age. The OPP would like to remind parents to educate their children about online safety and monitor their online activities as much as possible. Ensure your children are comfortable coming to you or someone they trust with incidents of this nature so they can be dealt with by investigators.
