A man from Nova Scotia is to appear in court in January on multiple child pornography charges following an investigation involving police in both Canada and the United States.
Twenty-six-year-old Bryce Melanson allegedly travelled to the U.S. to meet a youth for sex, and was arrested on March 7 after police searched his home in Springhill, N.S., about 115 kilometres northwest of Halifax.
He was charged with luring a child, possession of child pornography, and making sexually explicit material available to a child.
The RCMP say U.S. authorities told them that Melanson then broke his conditions by continuing to communicate with the youth victim, and as a result was charged with more crimes, including uttering threats and criminal harassment.
Melanson was detained and then released on June 7, but RCMP say that he broke his conditions again and was arrested on Dec. 11 on more child pornography charges.
He has been detained since then and is scheduled to appear in Amherst provincial court on Jan. 28.
“Over the last year we have worked closely with Homeland Security Investigations, the New York State Police, and a social media platform to gather evidence and move our files forward,” Nova Scotia RCMP Const. Mandy Edwards said in a news release.
“We rely on our partnerships across the country and internationally to identify the people who produce and distribute child pornography and to get child victims the help they need from police and support resources.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2024.