School Teacher Arrested for Child Pornography Offences

Lethbridge… An elementary school teacher in Brocket, Alta., has been charged with child sexual exploitation offences following an investigation by ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation unit.

Mark Anderson was arrested on January 11, 2018 with the assistance of Pincher Creek RCMP, Piikani Nation RCMP and Lethbridge Police. The 44-year-old man teaches at Brocket Elementary School and is also involved in various youth-oriented community programs on the Piikani Nation Reserve, such as minor sports and Scouts Canada.

Anderson is charged with possessing, accessing, and distributing child pornography.

While the investigation and charges are related to online offences, ICE is encouraging anyone with information about this case to come forward and contact police. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact local police or cybertip.ca.

A number of computers and electronic devices were seized from his Pincher Creek home and will be subject of forensic examination. Brocket is located in southwest Alberta, between Pincher Creek and Fort Macleod.

The investigation began in July 2017 when ICE received a referral from the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) concerning a social media user uploading child sexual exploitation materials. ICE conducted an investigation to identify the user, and only recently learned the suspect was a teacher.

Anderson is expected to appear in court on January 30, 2018.

ICE is an integrated team consisting of Lethbridge Police, Calgary Police, Medicine Hat Police, and RCMP members, and investigates offences involving child pornography, any computer-related child sexual abuse, child luring over the Internet, voyeurism involving victims under the age of 18, and child sex trade/tourism.