
Leduc man charged with luring teen girls for sex: ALERT
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The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) on Wednesday announced it has laid 27 charges against the 49-year-old, the target of a child luring investigation which began in April.
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The agency said the man targeted girls in the Edmonton area aged 15 to 16, using social media apps including Snapchat to meet them for sex.
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Det. Christine Sawatsky said the investigation doesn't stop here. 'We have reason to believe there are more victims we have yet to identify as we discover images and videos on these devices,' she said in the release.
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The accused was arrested when police executed a search warrant in Leduc June 26. They seized several devices including a smart phone and a laptop.
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Investigators said he used the pseudonym Burke, as well as the usernames 'burkeishere2525,' 'devonhouston25,' 'keenonhedstrom' and 'treyliles2424.' Police released the names in hope of identifying additional youth who may have had contact with the accused, Sawatsky said.
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Campbell Fergusson faces charges including child luring, making and possessing child pornography, and making sexually explicit material available to a child. He remains in custody, with his next court appearance set for Thursday.
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ALERT is a multi-agency unit funded by the Alberta government to investigate serious and organized crime.
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Global News
20 hours ago
- Global News
Youth involved in ‘mass shooting' outside Toronto school enters guilty plea
A teenager involved in a fatal 'mass shooting' outside a Toronto school last summer has had the murder charges against him dropped. The teen, who can't be identified due to provisions under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, pleaded guilty Monday to accessory after the fact to a discharged firearm, possession of a loaded restricted firearm without authorization and possession of stolen property over $5,000. He had been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder in connection with the June 2, 2024, shooting in the parking lot of North Albion Collegiate Institute. He was 14 at the time. Speaking to Global News on Tuesday, Crown attorney Simon King said he told the judge during Monday's hearing there was 'not evidence sufficient for a reasonable prospect of conviction' on the murder charges. In Canada, the Crown has one year from the date the charges were stayed to bring them back to court. Story continues below advertisement Seymour Gibbs, 46, and Delroy George Parkes, 61, were among eight people who gathered at the school to socialize and play dominoes on Sunday afternoons. These gatherings were described as 'casual and friendly' in an agreed statement of facts (ASF) released Monday. Gibbs and Parkes died, and three others were injured, in what Toronto police described as a 'mass shooting' at the time. Teen was 'willfully blind,' ASF reads According to the ASF, three suspects drove into the school's parking lot in a dark grey Ford F-150 at 10:50 p.m., two suspects got out and approached the group, and one of them fired an automatic weapon, discharging roughly 23 rounds and hitting five people. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy They fled back to the vehicle and drove off together; the Ford was parked at 11:03 p.m. at 74 Amoro Dr. in Etobicoke, roughly three kilometres south of the school. The suspects exited the truck and left on foot. Story continues below advertisement At 12:05 a.m. on June 3, 2024, the teenager had a conversation on Snapchat with another user, the ASF states. The user wrote to the teenager in a series of messages sent over seven seconds, '5 ppl r u stupid.' 2:33 Suspects outstanding after mass shooting in Toronto school parking lot At 12:58 a.m., the teenager sent a Snapchat message to his girlfriend stating, 'I have sum to do.' After asking him for more details, the teen replied at 1 a.m. saying, 'I dead can't,' and replied a minute later, adding, 'Sum srs,' meaning something serious. 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They followed it onto Jeffcoat Drive and sped up; the Ford turned north onto Kearney Drive and crashed into a vehicle. The teen quickly exited from the driver's seat and fled southbound while holding a loaded handgun in his waistband, the ASF states. One of the officers drew his sidearm and pointed it at the teen while shouting a command to stop. The teen ignored it and fled. Story continues below advertisement A lengthy police foot pursuit ensued; the teen ran past St. Benedict Catholic Elementary School and threw the handgun onto the roof of a portable. He was apprehended and arrested shortly afterwards. The weapon was not located until the next day when a civilian found it on the portable's roof and called police. 3:15 Toronto mass shooting victim speaks out The handgun had been loaded with four cartridges of .380 auto calibre centre-fire ammunition. Its serial number had been obliterated. The shell casings found at North Albion Collegiate did not match the firearm discarded by the teen, the ASF stated. He was never licensed to possess a handgun, nor did he have any firearms certificates. The Ford F-150 was stolen in May 2024 and had a value of $55,000 as of June that year. 'He had a suspicion that the truck was stolen property, and … made a conscious decision not to make inquiries that would confirm his suspicion,' the ASF states, adding the teen 'admits that he was therefore willfully blind to the fact that the F-150 truck in his possession was stolen property.' Story continues below advertisement The teen, who is now 16, was released on house arrest bail Monday and will return to court for sentencing in the fall.


Winnipeg Free Press
7 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Prosecutors won't charge Chicago officers who fired nearly 100 times during a deadly traffic stop
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Edmonton Journal
11-08-2025
- Edmonton Journal
Edmonton man facing 15 online child sex exploitation charges involving minors in U.S. and U.K.: ALERT
ALERT headquarters in Edmonton. Postmedia, file A 32-year-old Edmonton man is facing 15 online child exploitation charges following a lengthy investigation by ALERT's Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors The ICE unit worked with the RCMP's National Child Exploitation Crime Centre, the U.S.'s Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation throughout the investigation, and believe the man had been engaging in this type of activity since 2023. ALERT said according to multiple complaints the man was allegedly luring children online and sharing sexual exploitation material. ALERT said the man allegedly had incidents with an 11-year-old in the United States, and a 13-year-old in the United Kingdom. Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again 'This investigation really highlighted the international partnerships that we have and how important and integral they are with internet and child exploitation and holding people accountable,' said Const. Stephanie Bosch, ALERT ICE in a phone call with Postmedia on Monday afternoon. 'Without their cooperation or tips from them, we might not have known about these instances… in some instances we have to work backwards too, and in this specific investigation, it was kind of multiple investigations rolled into one.' The FBI provided ICE information the man sent sexually explicit photos and videos to an 11-year-old girl that he met over social media. The incident was first reported to the Kansas City, Mo. police department in June 2024. In a separate incident, Europol and the UK's Eastern Region Special Operations Unit reported that the man sent explicit photos and videos to what he believed was a 13-year-old girl that took place in May 2023. ICE was given that information late last year and started an investigation to identify and arrest the man. 'It's really easy to pretend to be someone else online, but In this case specifically, there was no very obvious trickery in terms of that. It was more about the grooming process and how that kind of evolved,' said Bosch. 'When you think about that grooming process and how vulnerable kids can be, especially if you're talking about an 11-year-old. It's very easy to manipulate an 11-year-old into thinking that behaviour is normal… and that could start by just desensitizing them by sending them material and normalizing it in that way.'