The Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation Unit reports an immediate and brief investigation into a complaint of child luring, a child has been saved from potential harm.
According to police, a Loon Lake man has been charged with numerous child-luring offences after an investigation that began Jan 16. A concerned grandparent made a complaint to the Saskatoon Police Service that their 10-year-old grandson was being sexually lured through a popular social media application.
The investigation identified a suspect and a location in Saskatoon where he was temporarily residing. Thursday, members of the Saskatchewan ICE Unit and Saskatoon Police Service executed a search warrant at the Saskatoon location where they arrested the man and seized his mobile device for further forensic analysis, and to identify other child victims.
Steven Joseph Lasas, age 26, of the Loon Lake area has been charged with possession of child pornography, making child pornography, two counts of luring a child to facilitate an offence and obtaining for consideration the sexual services of a person under 18.
He is in custody and appeared in Saskatoon Provincial Court Friday.
The Saskatchewan ICE Unit is comprised of investigators from the RCMP, Regina Police Service, Saskatoon Police Service, and Prince Albert Police Service. Their mandate is to investigate crimes involving the abuse and/or exploitation of children on the internet.
