American man facing charges after 14-year-old lured in Surrey

Dec 1 2021, 5:43 pm

A man in the United States has been arrested and is now facing charges related to a teen being lured in Surrey.

Kevin McCarty, 35, was arrested on November 18 in California as a result of a joint investigation by the Surrey RCMP and the US Department of Homeland Security.

Authorities say that in September, McCarty used an alias to contact and communicate with a 14-year-old from Surrey on social media.

“He then allegedly groomed the youth for a sexual purpose and coerced them to create, and distribute self-exploitive sexual material,” the Surrey RCMP says in a statement.

Surrey Frontline Officers, Digital Forensic Triage Services, and Internet Child Exploitation Units worked with the victim and their family to gather evidence. Once it was determined that the suspect was American, the units engaged with Homeland Security Investigations agents.

Additional victims were identified.

An arrest was made after McCarty was identified as a suspect. He now faces charges in the US.

“The criminal complaint in the District of Oregon has laid charges of sexual exploitation of children, distribution of child pornography, cyberstalking, online enticement of a minor, and transferring obscene material to a minor,” Surrey RCMP says.

A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, so the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty, the release notes.

Vincent PlanaVincent Plana

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