A Brocket, Alta. elementary school teacher has been charged with child sexual exploitation offences, following an investigation by the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams’ Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit.
Police started their investigation in July 2017, when ICE received a referral from the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) concerning a social media user uploading child sexual exploitation materials.
According to police, a number of computers and electronic devices were seized from a home in Pincher Creek, Alta.
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On Thursday, 44-year-old Mark Anderson, a teacher at Brocket Elementary School, was arrested with the assistance of Pincher Creek RCMP, Piikani Nation RCMP and Lethbridge police.
Anderson is charged with possessing, accessing, and distributing child pornography.
According to ALERT, Anderson is also involved in various youth-oriented community programs on the Piikani Nation Reserve, such as minor sports and Scouts Canada.
ICE said the investigation is ongoing. Investigators are encouraging anyone with new information to come forward by contacting their local police department over the phone or online.
Anderson is scheduled in court on Jan. 30.
ICE is an integrated team consisting of Lethbridge police, Calgary police, Medicine Hat police and RCMP members. The unit investigates offences involving child pornography, any computer-related child sexual abuse, child luring over the internet, voyeurism involving victims under the age of 18, and child sex trade/tourism.