A former firefighter from North Vancouver has been identified as one of the eight men charged in an extensive Vancouver police sting targeting alleged sexual predators late last year.
Mitchell Brett Maurer is accused of communicating for the purpose of obtaining sexual services for consideration from a person under the age of 18.
Police announced the arrests of 47 men in January following a two-month sting operation in 2018 where police posted fake ads online for escort services involving teenage girls between 15 and 17 years old.
Suspects who agreed to pay a fee for a sex act and showed up for arranged hotel meetings were arrested by police waiting nearby.
READ MORE: 47 men arrested by Vancouver police for allegedly seeking sex with teenage girls
The District of North Vancouver confirmed in an email that Maurer was a firefighter for the district but no longer works there. The spokesperson would not confirm when or why Maurer’s employment ended.
Maurer did work there sometime in 2016, according to a North Shore News article online
The same charge Maurer faces has also been laid against former Vancouver school trustee Ken Clement as well as Nikolais Dias, a retired teacher from the all-girls private school Little Flower Academy.
A man named Mario Celo Amistad pleaded guilty to his charge on Aug. 15.
Jim Malmros, Jun Jie He, Donald Schroeder and Mehran Arefi have all pleaded not guilty.
Maurer is expected to appear in court on Oct. 28.
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