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Children’s relief caregiver from the Peace Region charged with child pornography offences

Feb 15, 2019 | 9:20 AM

ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit has arrested a man on child pornography charges and the accused is known to care for children in his home.

The investigations started last July when the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children provided information about someone uploading child pornography via social media.

52-year- old Royal “Mac” Olsen was arrested on February 8, 2019 with the help of McLennan RCMP.

Olsen provided children’s relief care in his home in Donnelly. He is believed to have acted as a children’s relief care provider for a number of years, providing temporary care on an emergent or short-term basis.

“We have information that he’s been using his home as kind of a pseudo care facility for a number of years.  There was a number of children in his care, however, we don’t believe that any of them were necessarily victimized,” explained Mike Tucker, Communications Director for ALERT.  “His offences to date strictly relate to online activities.”

Olsen has been charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.

When officers searched his home, a number of computers and electronic devices were seized.

“And what will happen with that now is they’ll be taken back to our ICE lab where our forensic techs will complete a full analysis of those devices looking for other materials and evidence,” Tucker explained.

Anyone with information about this investigation or any child exploitation offence is encouraged to contact local police or cybertip.ca.