A Beaverlodge man has been released from custody after being charged with the child sexual exploitation and luring of a girl in British Columbia.
A joint investigation involving Internet Child Exploitation units in Alberta and B.C. resulted in the arrest of the 19-year-old man this week, as well as his subsequent charges.
In an ALERT ICE news release, authorities on Thursday confirmed the suspect allegedly met the underage girl on the online gaming platform Roblox before the two began exchanging messageszed and the victim was allegedly coerced into sharing explicit photos and videos
The alleged victim’s parents subsequently discovered the messages and reported the incident to Kelowna RCMP.
As a result, the man was arrested and taken into custody on Oct. 29, and then charged.
“Diverting the conversation to other platforms is a common tactic by offenders to evade detection and in some case bypass existing safety protocols,” said ALERT Acting Sergeant Matt Pepper.
The outcome reflects our collective commitment to public safety and holding offenders accountable, added Corporal Steven Lang, Kelowna RCMP Media Relations Officer.
“Criminal activity does not recognize jurisdictional boundaries, and neither does effective policing. The swift actions of investigators in Kelowna led to the identification of the suspect, and through close collaboration with our Alberta partners, critical information was shared to support the ongoing investigation.”
Kenneth Livesay, 19, of Beaverlodge, Alta has been charged with child luring, making sexually explicit materials available to a child, making child sexual abuse and exploitation material, and possessing child sexual abuse and exploitation material.
He has since been released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 18 in Grande Prairie.
