A man in Lindsay, Ont., who was wanted on charges of child luring and child pornography-related charges, was stopped on suspicion of shoplifting and held by grocery store staff for police on Tuesday afternoon.
Kawartha Lakes Police say around 3 p.m. staff at the unnamed Russell Street business saw a man conceal food and attempt to leave the store without paying for it. Police say staff prevented him from leaving.
When police arrested the man, they discovered he was already wanted for an ongoing investigation regarding a man seeking young girls online.
The probe was launched in May 2017 when London police were contacted by a 16-year-old girl who had been contacted by a man via Facebook. A warrant for his arrest was issued and the investigation was handed over to Kawartha Lakes police since the suspect was a resident of Lindsay.
“The man had used a fake Facebook account to establish contact with the girl and eventually try and co-coerce her into sending him pornographic pictures of herself,” said Kawartha Lakes police Sgt. Tom Hickey.
“The man had also sent her pictures of his genitalia to her.”
Police said the girl provided pictures to the man who then sent them to other friends on Facebook.
Robert Darryl Brown, 48, was arrested and charged with luring a child, unlawfully possessing child pornography, distributing child pornography, publication of intimate images without consent, making sexually explicit material available to a child, theft under $5,000, possession of stolen property under $5,000 and failing to comply with a recognizance.
Brown was detained in custody and was scheduled to appear in court in Lindsay today.