American man accused of grooming, luring B.C. teen through social media
An American man has been arrested following the alleged luring of a Canadian teenager.
Mounties in Surrey said the investigation conducted by the detachment and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security began earlier this fall.
They allege the man used social media to communicate with a 14-year-old who lived in Surrey, B.C., starting in September.
Police said the man, who they say was a 35-year-old resident of Oregon, used an alias, but did not give details on that alias.
They also did not say which social media platform the man allegedly used to contact the teen.
"He then allegedly groomed the youth for a sexual purpose, and coerced them to create, and distribute self-exploitive sexual material," the RCMP detachment said in a statement Wednesday.
Officers didn't say how exactly the case came to their attention, but said investigators worked with the victim to gather evidence.
That evidence suggested the person who'd been contacting the teen was based south of the border, Mounties said, so Homeland Security Investigations agents were brought in on the case.
These HSI agents identified more victims, according to the RCMP, then named Kevin McCarty as their suspect.
He was arrested in California on Nov. 18, and is facing charges in the U.S. The charges include sexual exploitation of children, distribution of child pornography, cyberstalking and online enticement of a minor. The criminal complaint filed in Oregon also includes the charge of transferring obscene material to a minor.
Police on both sides of the border have not said how the suspect was identified, nor have they said how many victims have been connected to the investigation.
The allegations against McCarty have not been proven in court.
Additionally, evidence allegedly uncovered in this investigation will be used in a larger police operation – called Project Arachnid – the goal of which is to stop the distribution of child pornography.
"This can help address victims' fears that someone they know may come across their image on the internet," Surrey RCMP Cpl. Danielle Pollock said in Wednesday's news release.
The project is a Canada-wide initiative that works to detect child sexual abuse material and notify the provider hosting the content that it needs to be removed.
According to the team behind it, the system is able to process tens of thousands of images per second. Images that require assessment are then flagged for an analyst. As of Nov. 1, more than nine million notices have been sent to providers. About 85 per cent of the notices issued relate to victims who are not known to have been identified by police.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.