Eight Alberta men Arrested in Nation-wide Child Porn Sting

Edmonton… Eight Alberta men are amongst the over 150 alleged child sex offenders arrested Canada-wide as part of Operation Snapshot III. The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) assisted the national operation coordinated by the RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre (NCECC).

Five children from across the country were removed from harm and nearly two million images and videos were seized. Forty police agencies from across Canada were involved.

Snapshot III began in February 2014 and specifically targeted high-risk offenders, which was evaluated on several factors including individuals who have access to children, who are in a position of trust and/or authority, and who are attempting to communicate with children for a sexual purpose.

Link to NCECC news release: http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/news-nouvelles/2014/06-19-snapshot-iii-eng.htm

The eightAlberta residents arrested are facing a total of 23 charges, including accessing child pornography, possession of child pornography, and making available child pornography:

• Mark Perry, a 37-year-old man from Edmonton;
• Brian Gonsalves, a 51-year-old man from Calgary;
• Christopher Kuchera, a 38-year-old man from Stavely;
• James Jensen, a 29-year-old man from Didsbury;
• Alex Morin, a 25-year-old man from Enoch First Nations;
• Jeff Munsie, a 33-year-old man from Calgary;
• Stanley Skotniczny, a 68-year-old man from Camrose;
• Lance Thorburn, a 43-year-old man from Wetaskwin.

ALERT’s internet child exploitation unit is an integrated team made up of Calgary Police Service, Edmonton Police Service, Lethbridge Regional Police Service, Medicine Hat Police Service, and RCMP members who routinely work with NCECC on multi-jurisdictional cases. ALERT strives to protect the safety of children across the province from offences such as child pornography, computer-related sexual abuse, luring, voyeurism, and child sex tourism.