Sault suspect accused of posing as a teacher, threatened child to send intimate images

Sault Ste. Marie Police Service headquarters. (File photo/CTV News Northern Ontario)

A 41-year-old resident of the Sault is accused of posing as a teacher from Wasaga Beach and threatening a child from a nearby community into sending intimate images of themselves.

Ontario Provincial Police received the complaint March 21.

“A child residing in Clearview Township, Ont., (was) being lured by an adult via a social media app,” Sault police said in a news release Thursday.

“An investigation revealed the accused, who resides in Sault Ste. Marie, pretended to be a teacher in their 20s living in the Wasaga Beach area. The accused threatened the victim into sending intimate images of themselves online.”

Detectives with the Sault Ste. Marie Police’s technological crime unit, with help from the OPP, arrested the suspect Sept. 4 at a residence on McGregor Avenue.

Charges include possession of child pornography, accessing child pornography, luring a child for the purpose of child pornography and uttering threats.

The accused was held in custody pending a bail hearing.