A 19-year-old man from Sherwood Park, who used to work as a summer camp volunteer, has been charged with distribution and possession of child pornography.
Strathcona County RCMP and Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit said Tanner Porteous was arrested on Sept. 6 after a search warrant was executed at his home.
Police said Porteous worked as a camp counsellor and summer camp volunteer programmer with Camp Encounter, near Lac la Nonne in Barrhead County, northwest of Edmonton.
“There is no indication that the alleged offences were connected to his service at Camp Encounter and he had no access to any camp computers,” RCMP said in a news release on Monday.
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Camp Encounter is owned and operated by the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton.
In a statement posted online Monday, the Archdiocese said it was “shocked and disheartened” to learn about the allegations.
It said Porteous was a volunteer interim programmer for one week in the summer of 2018, a camp counsellor during the summer of 2017 and a member of the fall program staff in the fall of 2017.
“Given the seriousness of this charge, the accused will no longer be considered for any volunteer or employment role in the Archdiocese,” RCMP said.
The Archdiocese also said it’s fully cooperating with the RCMP investigation.
Police said the investigation started in January, when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alerted officers in Alberta.
While the investigation and charges are related “strictly to online offences,” ICE is encouraging anyone with information about the case to contact Strathcona County RCMP.
“Currently, investigators have no evidence to suggest any offences were committed against any children who attended the camp,” RCMP said.
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