A 19-year-old man from Alberta has been charged with child luring and child sexual exploitation offences involving an underage B.C. girl.
Kelowna RCMP say Kenneth Livesey of Beaverlodge, AB. was arrested on Oct. 29 after a joint investigation with Internet Child Exploitation units in Alberta and B.C.
Mounties said Livesey met the victim on the online game Roblox before they began exchanging messages over Snapchat, where the messages became more sexual, and the victim was coerced into sharing explicit photos and videos.
Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams Acting Sgt. Matt Pepper said transitioning to a different chatroom is common.
“Diverting the conversation to other platforms is a common tactic by offenders to evade detection and, in some cases, bypass existing safety protocols.”
The messages were discovered by the victim’s parents and reported to Kelowna RCMP, though police did not say where the victim was from.
Kelowna RCMP media relations officer Cpl. Steven Lang said collaboration with the team in Alberta helped make the arrest.
“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. This outcome reflects our collective commitment to public safety and holding offenders accountable.”
Livesey has been released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 18 in Grande Prairie.
