A 51-year-old American man has been arrested and is facing a child luring charge after online incidents involving a 10-year-old Port Hope girl earlier this year.
On January 13, a Port Hope woman contacted Port Hope police to report her 10-year-old daughter had been in communication with a man on the internet and that images of a sexual nature were exchanged.
The woman discovered the situation when she received a $6,000 bill for her child’s phone. She spoke with her daughter and learned she had met a man on the Fortnite online gaming platform. The man subsequently asked for the child’s phone number and, after she provided it, began texting and calling her.
The man told the child he wanted her to be his girlfriend and pushed to develop the relationship, according to police, and said that if she did not do what he requested, he would expose the relationship to her parents.
After it was determined the man appeared to be located in the area of Richmond, Kentucky, Port Hope police contacted Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. federal law enforcement agency within the Department of Homeland Security that investigates a wide range of global crime including child exploitation.
Following a joint investigation involving Homeland Security Investigations and the Ontario Provincial Police, a 51-year-old man from Richmond, Kentucky was arrested and charged with child luring.
The accused man, who had also breached his parole conditions, is also facing additional charges. He remains in police custody in the U.S.
