Achi news desk-
A 38-year-old Medicine Hat man has been charged with online child luring and child sexual exploitation offenses involving a Tennessee girl, according to ALERT, Alberta’s Law Enforcement Response Team.
ALERT said the man who allegedly forced the youngster to share sexually explicit photos through a number of online chat applications while pretending to be a 13-year-old. The offenses date back to 2021 when the victim was just 11 years old.
“Over 7,000 messages were exchanged between the suspect and the victim,” said Staff Sgt. Mark Auger, with ALERT. “We are talking about daily conversations that ended only when it was discovered by the victim’s parent. This further underlines the need for parents to take a proactive role in understanding what their children are doing online.”
Police said the man was arrested on April 25 at his home following a joint investigation between the ALERT Internet Child Exploitation and Protection unit and the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC). in Tennessee.
In a news release Friday, ALERT said a search of the man’s home led to the seizure of multiple computers and electronic devices, which are currently being analyzed by investigators.
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ALERT said the Medicine Hat Police Service assisted with the execution of a search warrant.
Tyler Clark is facing several charges including luring children, making child pornography and making sexually explicit material available to a child.
“This arrest was only possible with the extraordinary responsiveness of the global network of like-minded Internet Crimes Against Children investigators. Together we crossed boundaries and continued diligently in our common purpose of bringing justice to adults who prey on our children,” said the Detective. Paul Lusk, ICAC Task Force.
Police said Clark was released from custody on a number of court-imposed conditions. He is scheduled to appear in court on May 22, 2024.
Anyone with information about this investigation or any child exploitation is asked to contact their local police, or submit tips anonymously to Crime Stoppers.
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