Charge laid last week is the result of a months-long investigation by the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service’s Technological Crime Unit
A local 17-year-old has been arrested after Sault Police allegedly found sexually explicit child images on the teenager’s cellphone.
Earlier this summer, on June 17, detectives executed a search warrant at a residence as part of an ongoing investigation into the accused teen.
“A cellphone was located and seized for forensic examination,” says a news release issued today by the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service. “The examination located several images meeting the definition of child sexual abuse and exploitation material (CSAEM).”
On Dec. 18, detectives with the Technological Crime Unit charged the 17-year-old with one count of possession of child sexual abuse and exploitation material. (The Criminal Code no longer uses the term “child pornography” because advocates have long argued that it minimizes such abuse.)
The teen, whose name cannot be published due to provisions in the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was held in custody pending a bail hearing.
The allegation has not been tested in court and the suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
“The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service’s Technological Crime Unit is a proud member of the Ontario Provincial Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation on the Internet, which consists of 27 partnering municipal agencies working collaboratively to rescue victims and combat child exploitation,” the news release states. “This strategy has been made possible by a grant from the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services.”