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By Justin Goulet

Lethbridge and Cardston men among 26 charged with child pornography offences

Sep 30, 2020 | 10:05 AM

CARDSTON, AB – A Lethbridge man and Cardston man are among 26 people charged in connection with exploiting children sexually online.

Between June 20 and September 17, ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit charged 26 suspects with 63 offences.

The majority of the arrests came as a result of investigative referrals from the RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Crime Centre, which works with internet and social media providers to track and investigate online instances of child sexual exploitation.

ALERT noted that there is no definitive link between the suspects other than the nature of the offences allegedly committed.

Each suspect has been charged with at least one child pornography offence:

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• Sean Giles, a 41-year-old man from Lethbridge;
• Stephen Miehe, a 28-year-old man from Cardston;
• Kevin Borchert, a 29-year-old man from Sherwood Park;
• David Cadieux, a 27-year-old man from Calgary;
• Joseph Cadrain, a 32-year-old man from Strathmore;
• Gary Campbell, a 28-year-old man from Lamont;
• Michael Ciesla, a 32-year-old man from Edmonton;
• Michael Courtepatte, a 44-year-old man from Athabasca;
• Victor Delage, a 29-year-old man from Wainright;
• Gerald Donel, a 57-year-old man from Edmonton;
• Brian Farris, a 40-year-old man from Grande Prairie;
• Humberto Ferreyra, a 51-year-old man from Lake Louise;
• Coby Franz, a 42-year-old man from Alder Flats;
• Brock Hann, a 21-year-old man from Morinville;
• Richard Lepchuk, a 59-year-old man from Edmonton;
• Christian Meier, a 52-year-old man from Calgary;
• Troy Melnyk, a 49-year-old man from Spruce Grove;
• Alasdair Mills, a 61-year-old man from Edmonton;
• David Peeke, a 45-year-old man from Edmonton;
• Christopher Piers-Hanley, a 31-year-old man from Edmonton;
• Kalon Specht, a 30-year-old man from Edmonton;
• Andrew Stredick, a 30-year-old man from Calgary;
• Charles Tadashore, a 43-year-old man from Calgary;
• Laurence Thrasher, a 40-year-old man from Edmonton; and
• Michael Vandermay, a 52-year-old man from Calgary

A 16-year-old young offender from Sherwood Park has also been charged.

During the investigation and arrests, ICE worked alongside a number of police agencies, including the Caribou Child and Youth Centre, Calgary Police Service, Edmonton Police Service, as well as various RCMP detachments from across the province, like Cardston.

“In Alberta, those who participate in the exploitation of children will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The Government of Alberta will ensure our law enforcement has the tools and resources to track down child predators and bring them to justice,” said Kaycee Madu, Alberta’s Minister of Justice and Solicitor General.

“On behalf of all law-abiding Albertans, I thank ALERT and the law enforcement organizations across the province that worked tirelessly to arrest and charge these criminals. Alberta’s justice system is here for all Albertans, especially for children victimized by sexual predators.”

ALERT’s Chief Executive Officer, Supt. Dwayne Lakusta said the “internet isn’t anonymous”.

“These arrests demonstrate ALERT’s willingness to travel to all corners of the province to make arrests, put predators behind bars, and keep kids safe,” he stated.

The Internet Child Exploitation unit includes members of the police services from Lethbridge, Calgary, Edmonton, Medicine Hat, and RCMP.

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