Okotoks man charged after 500,000 child abuse images seized
One of the largest collections ever found by Alberta police was discovered during an investigation that began in January.
RCMP seized over 500,000 images and videos of child sexual exploitation from an Okotoks home, in what investigators say ranks among the largest collections ever found in Alberta.
Corey Airhart, 35, of Okotoks, was charged with possessing and accessing child sexual abuse materials. The investigation began in January after the RCMP's National Child Exploitation Crime Centre flagged him for uploading exploitation material.
For context, Alberta's Law Enforcement Response Teams Internet Child Exploitation Unit discovered 622,150 photos and videos of child sexual exploitation across all provincial investigations in the same period.
Staff Sergeant Gordon MacDonald said the collection's size is "deeply disturbing" and would likely have been used to trade and fuel demand for abuse material. "Behind every photo and video is a real child in the world that is being exploited for sexual purposes," he said in a statement.
Airhart was released from custody and will appear in court in Okotoks on August 8. Anyone with information is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.