A reminder is being issued to parents to make sure they know what their kids are doing online after a Medicine Hat man was arrested in connection to the child exploitation of a Tennesee girl.
The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams Internet Child Exploitation unit conducted a joint investigation with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force of the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee after the man allegedly claimed to be a 13-year-old and got the girl to share sexually explicit photos “via multiple online chat applications.” Police say that the offences go as far back as 2021 when the victim was 11 years old.
ALERT ICE, Staff Sergeant Mark Auger, says that there were over 7,000 messages between the two.
“We’re talking daily conversations that only stopped when it was discovered by the victim’s parent. This further underscores the need for parents to take a proactive role in understanding what their children are doing online,” Auger says.
On April 25th, Tyler Clark was arrested at his Medicine Hat home and charged in connection to online child luring and child sexual exploitation-related offences. Included in the charges of making sexually explicit materials available to a child, making child pornography, possession of child pornography and accessing child pornography.
When police searched the 38-year-old’s home they seized several computers and electronics, which police say are still being looked over by investigators.
Clark has since been released from custody with several conditions, he is next scheduled to appear in court on May 22nd.
