WARNING: STORY CONTAINS GRAPHIC DETAILS THAT MAY BE DISTURBING TO SOME
An Alberta father is facing nearly two dozen charges in connection to the alleged sexual assault of his three daughters.
The 41-year-old man was arrested in November 2016 in a town west of Edmonton, where a number of computers and devices and dozens of firearms were seized.
The father is accused of sexually abusing his daughters over a six-year period. One of the daughters was allegedly sold for sex on multiple occasions with strangers, which were recorded by the father, according to ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit.
“When I think back to the day of the arrest, it was as if — and I’m talking about the children here — it was as if a dark cloud had been taken away and lifted from their lives,” ICE unit Staff Sgt. Stephen Camp said.
READ MORE: Alberta parents facing charges related to sexual abuse of children
Since the arrest, ICE continued its investigation and additional charges have been laid.
The father’s charges include five counts of sexual assault, four counts of sexual exploitation, two counts of incest, two counts of parent procuring child for sexual activity, and two counts of sexual assault with a weapon.
The father is also facing 17 firearm-related charges. Police said about 40 restricted handguns and rifles were seized from his rural property, including a machine gun.
Camp said the arrest was high risk because of the large amount of firearms at the residence, so “innovative” tactics were used.
“We wanted to ensure we didn’t get ourselves involved in a catastrophe or tragedy, and that was one of the primary goals besides getting the evidence and protecting the children, to get in there safe without getting anyone hurt,” Camp said.
READ MORE: Man charged after ‘multiple sexual assaults’ at West Edmonton Mall waterpark
The investigation started in October 2016, after a witness came forward with an allegation of abuse.
“Without that witness we would not be here today. It was a lone witness that had very compelling and very credible information that allowed us to continue with the investigation,” Camp said.
Watch below: Raw video of ALERT news conference on an Alberta father being charged with the alleged sexual assault of his three daughters and the alleged selling of one of them for sex.
The RCMP, Edmonton Police Service, Child and Family Services, Zebra Child Protection Centre, and Canadian Centre for Child Protection were all involved in the investigation, which was the largest ICE has conducted.
“It was a very difficult case to work, a very complex case, a very multi-layered case,” Camp said.
The victims are receiving help from a variety of support services.
“We have spoken with the victims since that day and they’re moving forward. It’s going to be a long recovery, but it is as if they have been emancipated from the grip or the prison of the father,” Camp said.
“This group of victims is quite brave and courageous and will continue to receive help from a variety of specialized support services.”
Camp said the girl’s mother lived at the home but was not aware of the alleged abuse. She was also a victim, he added.
“There is a significant amount of control and oppression that can happen in cases like this and manipulation, pre-planning, things like that,” Camp said.
“The mother was just unaware of what actually was going on.”
Camp said the daughters were being home schooled, and there were two sons who also lived at the home.
The identity of the accused is not being revealed in order to protect the victims.
The father is in custody and is scheduled to appear in an Evansburg, Alta. court room on Monday.
Watch below: Investigators are describing the case as horrific, evil and nauseating. An Alberta father faces 40 charges including incest, sexual assault with a weapon. Fletcher Kent reports. GRAPHIC WARNING.
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