Former North Vancouver firefighter facing charges connected to VPD sex sting

A former District of North Vancouver firefighter is facing charges connected to a Vancouver police sting that accused more than 40 other men of allegedly seeking sex with minors.

Back in January, Vancouver police announced they had arrested 47 suspects between June and November of 2018. One of those people was identified as a firefighter, but had not yet been charged.

Court records now show Mitchell Brett Maurer is facing one count of communicating for the purpose of obtaining the sexual services of a person under the age of 18, which were sworn on Sept. 12.

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Maurer is due to appear in court on Oct. 28, after making an appearance on Monday.

The District of North Vancouver confirmed Maurer is no longer employed with the fire department.

A spokesperson would not say when he was let go or how long he was employed, saying it would be “inappropriate” to comment further.

Maurer faces a mandatory minimum sentence of six months in jail if convicted. No plea has been entered and the charges have yet to be proven in court.

In their announcement in January, police said detectives posted decoy advertisements on web escort listings and social media platforms and the men who were arrested allegedly believed they were corresponding with a 15- to 17-year-old girl.

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Police at the time said the suspects included a teacher, a school trustee and a member of an outlaw motorcycle gang.

That same day, prosecutors released the names of seven of the men who were facing charges, including the now-former teacher and school trustee.

Kenneth Clement had been a Vancouver School Board trustee for Vision Vancouver, who resigned in June 2018 citing personal reasons.

His trial for the same charge as Maurer is due to begin Oct. 29 in Vancouver.

Nikolaos Dais — a former math teacher and coach at Little Flower Academy, a private, all-girls Catholic school in Vancouver — is set to begin his trial on June 17, 2020.

—With files from Amy Judd and Simon Little