A Maple Ridge who tried to meet a police office posing as a 13-year-old girl is now facing charges of luring a child.
David Anderson was arrested Sept. 4 by the RCMP’s Integrated Child Exploitation (ICE) following an investigation that began in August.
The covert operation involved an investigator from the child exploitation unit pretending to be a teen.
Insp. Rick Greenwood with ICE said the officer was approached by Anderson, who claimed he was a teenage boy.
“[Anderson] indicated an interest in meeting, and went so far as to arrange a date and time,” added Greenwood.
Anderson was on probation following a conviction on similar charges when he contacted the undercover officer.
In addition to two counts of lurking a child online, he has also been charged with breaching probation as his court-imposed conditions included no internet access or contact with any female child under the age of 16 years unless in the company of a responsible adult.
“This is just one of the many successful proactive investigations conducted by the B.C. ICE unit and our partner units,” said Greenwood.
“Parents should remain vigilant about who their children are chatting with online. The best way to protect your children is to be informed and involved in their online lives.”
• For tips on how to protect your children online, visit Cybertip, Canada’s tipline to report the online sexual exploitation of children.
