Suspect Arrested for Online Child Exploitation Offences

Calgary… ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit and Beiseker RCMP have charged a 47-year-old man with online child exploitation offences.

Karl Schackwidt was arrested on April 22, 2020, and his home in Irricana, Alta., was also searched. The suspect was charged with distributing, possessing, and accessing child pornography.

ICE alleges that Schackwidt was involved in sharing child exploitation photos via a social media application. A number of computers and electronic devices were seized from his home and will be subject of a full forensic analysis.

“Online child exploitation occurs in every corner of the province; in communities big and small,” said Staff Sgt. Dominic Mayhew, ALERT ICE.

“We cannot be naïve to the extent of these offences, and this should serve as a reminder for parents to take a more proactive role in providing digital safeguards for their children.”

Schackwidt was convicted for similar offences in 2008.

Irricana is located approximately 50 kilometers northeast of Calgary.

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.