ALERT charges 19-year-old Cochrane man with child exploitation
Posted Dec 8, 2023 1:37 pm.
The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team’s Internet Child Exploitation unit has charged a 19-year-old man from Cochrane with child exploitation.
ALERT’S ICE arrested Bransyn Lyon on Tuesday at his house in Cochrane, with the help of RCMP.
He’s been charged with distributing, accessing, and possessing child pornography, ALERT says, as well as three charges connected to failing to comply with a release order.
Lyon was previously charged for similar child exploitation offences, according to the provincial agency, and his release conditions prohibited him from having electronic devices, accessing the internet unsupervised, and accessing any form of pornography.
ICE says those conditions were not being followed.
“ICE is concerned that the suspect continues to reoffend and has demonstrated little regard for his release conditions,” said Const. Erin Penner, with ICE South, in a statement. “Child exploitation offences remain on the rise in this province and our unit will remain diligent in targeting those that contribute to this unfortunate trend.”
Several computers and other electronics were seized from Lyon’s home by ALERT, and they are currently being analyzed as part of an ongoing investigation.
An investigation into the Cochrane man was opened in October 2023 when the RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Crime Center provided information about a suspect repeatedly sharing child abuse materials through Snapchat.
Lyon’s previous charges are from a Saskatchewan investigation that happened in July.
Anyone with information about either of these cases or any situation involving child exploitation is asked to contact their local police detachment or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
