An RCMP collar tab pin is seen in Edmonton, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson)
A man in Ohio is facing several charges after he groomed a Manitoba girl, 10, into sending him explicit images.
Manitoba RCMP said they were notified of the interaction after a family member discovered the girl had been talking to someone she believed to be a teenage boy on social media.
The conversation moved to text messages, where the girl was convinced to send explicit photos and videos of herself to the man.
The man also sent explicit photos to her.
RCMP found evidence on the girl’s devices that the man lived in the U.S., so they notified the U.S. embassy in Ottawa and Homeland Security in the U.S.
Special Agents raided a home in Wadsworth, OH and arrested a man. RCMP said they found evidence of the conversations between the man and the girl on the man’s electronic devices.
“The details of this case are disturbing and underscore the real dangers that online predators and those with malicious intent pose to impressionable children and youth,” said Cpl. Emmie Clements, of the Manitoba Integrated Child Exploitation Unit.
“This case underscores the impact of cross-border collaboration in protecting children – a commitment we share with the RCMP,” said Maggie Sigur, attaché for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations.
Courtney Arden Wise III, 32, has been charged by American officials with sexual exploitation of children, possession of child pornography and receipt of visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Officials say the suspect may have hurt or victimized other children and are continuing to investigate.
