A 38-year-old man from Medicine Hat has been charged with online child luring and child sexual exploitation-related offences involving a Tennessee girl, according to ALERT, Alberta’s Law Enforcement Response Team.
ALERT said the man allegedly coerced the youth into sharing sexually explicit photos via multiple online chat applications while pretending to be a 13-year-old youth. The offences date back to 2021 when the victim was just 11 years old.
“There were over 7,000 messages exchanged between the suspect and the victim,” said Staff Sgt. Mark Auger, with ALERT. “We’re talking daily conversations that only stopped when it was discovered by the victim’s parent. This further underscores the need for parents to take a proactive role in understanding what their children are doing online.”
Police said the man was arrested on April 25 at his home following a joint investigation between ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation unit and the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force of the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee.
In a news release Friday, ALERT said a search of the man’s home led to the seizure of multiple computers and electronic devices, which are currently being analyzed by investigators.
ALERT said Medicine Hat Police Service helped with the search warrant execution.
Tyler Clark faces several charges including child luring, making child pornography and making sexually explicit materials available to a child.
“This arrest was only possible with the amazing responsiveness of the global network of like-minded Internet Crimes Against Children investigators. Together we transcended borders and remained diligent in our shared purpose of bringing justice to adults that are preying on our children,” said Det. Paul Lusk, ICAC Task Force.
Police said Clark was released from custody on a number of court-imposed conditions. He is scheduled to appear in court on May 22, 2024.
Anyone with information on this investigation or any child exploitation is asked to contact their local police, or submit tips anonymously to Crime Stoppers.
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