Children’s Relief Caregiver Charged with Child Pornography Offences

Edmonton… A child relief care provider in northwest Alberta has been arrested by ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit for child pornography offences.

Royal “Mac” Olsen was arrested on February 8, 2019 with the help of McLennan RCMP. The 52-year-old man provided children’s relief care in his home in Donnelly, Alta.

At this point in the investigation, ICE has no reason to suspect any children in his care were victimized. A number of computers and electronic devices were seized and a full forensic examination is underway.

Alberta Children’s Services is also continuing to provide support to the investigation.

The investigation into Olsen began in July 2018. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children provided information about an unknown Alberta man uploading child pornography via a social media application. ICE’s investigation identified Olsen as the suspect.

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

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

Donnelly is located approximately 65 kilometres south of Peace River and 425 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

ALERT was established and is funded by the Alberta Government and is a compilation of the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources committed to tackling serious and organized crime. Members of Calgary Police Service, Edmonton Police Service, Lethbridge Police Service, Medicine Hat Police Service, and RCMP work in ALERT.