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A central Alberta man suspected of recruiting and exploiting a number of susceptible girls is dealing with seven fees associated to intercourse trafficking and sexual assault, based on the Alberta Legislation Enforcement Response Groups (ALERT).
Christopher Becks, 37, is from Ponoka and was arrested after a search at an Ottewell dwelling in Edmonton following a tip that somebody was concentrating on girls, many with no mounted deal with.
“It’s our understanding that this man was actively searching out women who were struggling with addiction,” mentioned Employees Sgt. Christopher Hayes with ALERT’s human trafficking part.
“He would lure these women to hotels by offering drugs, food and a place to stay, then exploit them and force them into the sex trade, even taking them to other areas of the province.”
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ALERT first turned conscious of this particular person in October and an arrest was made in December.
Info from one of many survivors triggered the investigation, Mike Tucker mentioned.
“We’ve been in a position to work with one girl on this case who was in a position to be linked with sources to assist her exit the scenario and had the braveness to return ahead and supply info.
“We all know there’s much more girls who’ve been victimized… we’re taking a look at as many as a dozen. And we actually wish to emphasize that we’re right here to assist and we would like extra info to assist lay some extra fees.
“We have safety network coordinators who are embedded within our team of investigators who are able to work with those survivors, help them exit the sex trade, provide resources, linking them with social support services,” Tucker defined.
“They made a disclosure to one of those people and we were able to conduct the investigation.”
These with details about this investigation are requested to contact Edmonton Police Service at 780-423-4567 or submit nameless ideas via Crime Stoppers.
“There’s a community of these women that he targets, and these women may better recognize him by the name Bear,” Hayes mentioned, including Beck is understood to drive a black Mustang automobile.
Becks is out on bail with circumstances as he awaits his subsequent court docket look on March 3. He faces the next fees:
- Trafficking an individual
- Procuring
- Materials profit from trafficking an individual
- Promoting sexual providers
- Sexual assault
- Overcoming resistance to fee of offence
- Uttering threats
“Knowing that we’re dealing with people who are already vulnerable in society, we wanted to act quickly to prevent other victims,” Tucker mentioned. “And you can appreciate not always the most comfortable or cooperative in working with police.
“We understand and recognize there are barriers to coming forward and working with police to provide information, but that’s why we have civilians embedded within who provide those social supports services to help people exit the sex industry and provide resources to help begin their healing process.”
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