Thursday, November 4, 2010

Internet Child Exploitation Unit Pornography Investigation Results in Charges
Between the 1st of September 2010 and the 21st of October 2010, the Internet Child Exploitation Unit of the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service identified individuals accessing, possessing and making available child pornographic images in the Sault Ste. Marie area. On the 2nd and 3rd of November, the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service Internet Child Exploitation and CORE Units executed search warrants on four Sault Ste. Marie area residences. Evidence of child pornography was located and officers seized 3 laptop computers, 6 desktop computers and several data storage devices. As a result of this investigation and the execution of these search warrants, a 16 year-old male youth was arrested at his residence on the 2nd of November 2010 and charged with two counts of Possession of Child Pornography and one count of Importing or Distributing Child Pornography. The accused male was scheduled to attend a bail hearing at the Sudbury District courthouse on the 3rd of December 2010.
A second male, 25 year-old David Smeltzer of #2-178 Pim Street was arrested at 12:31 pm on the 3rd of November at a west end residence and has been charged with three counts of Possession of Child Pornography, three counts of Importing or Distributing Child Pornography and one count of Possession of a Controlled Drug or Substance and is to appear in bail court this morning.
The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service Internet Child Exploitation Unit is part of the Ontario Provincial Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation on the Internet, which has been made possible by a grant from the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services and the Ministry of the Attorney General.

Female Arrested for Criminal Harassment
Officers with the Sault Ste Marie Police Service Investigations Unit arrested an 18-year-old on the 3rd of November at 10:30 am on Northern Avenue and charged her with three counts of Criminal Harassment. It is alleged that in the past five months the accused has continuously attended at the workplace of a female known to her and harassed there as well as harassed the victim on facebook. The accused is to appear in bail court this morning.

Domestic Related Arrest
A 26 year-old male was arrested by officers with the Sault Ste Marie Police Service yesterday afternoon at his residence and charged with one count of Forcible Confinement and two counts of Breach of a Release Document. It is alleged that since August the accused has contacted his ex-wife numerous time by phone and text messages, attended at her residence and on one occasion would not let the victim leave her home. At the time of the offences the accused was on undertaking conditions that he not communicate with the victim, harass, molest or annoy her. The accused is to appear in bail court this morning.

Uttering Forged Documents Using Stolen Cheques from October’s Purse Snatching Incidents
Officers with the Sault Ste Marie Police Service Investigations Unit arrested 63 year-old Fred McMurray of 33 Ferguson Avenue yesterday afternoon at his residence and charged him with three counts of Possession of Property Obtained by Crime and three counts of Utter a Forged Document. It is alleged that on the 20th, 22nd and 23rd of October the accused attended at a local financial institution and cashed three cheques that had been reported stolen in the two purse snatching incidents from October at Value Village and the Sault Ste. Marie Casino. He is to appear in court on the 6th of December.

Female Youth Arrested for Assault
A 14 year-old youth was arrested by Investigation Unit officers with Sault Ste Marie Police Service yesterday at 6 pm at the police station and charged with three counts of Assault. It is alleged that on the 2nd of November around 4 pm, the accused assaulted three female persons known to her while in the downtown area. One of the victims received non-life threatening injuries as a result. The accused is to appear in court on the 7th of December.

Break and Enter/Theft Reports
• A residence on Parkdale Drive was entered yesterday between 4:45 pm - 5:00 pm. A 40 inch LCD Samsung television and a Mac desktop computer were reported stolen.
• A vehicle in the Cambrian Mall lot was entered last evening. Prescription medication and a GPS unit were reported stolen.
• Licence plates were reported stolen from a vehicle in the 300 block of Korah Road and from a trailer on Greenfield Drive.

If you have any information regarding this crimes, or any other crime, please call at Crime Stoppers at 942-7867 or 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), submit an e-tip from the Crime Stoppers web site at www.saultcrimestoppers.com or text keyword SSM with your tip to 274637.