Police say a 47-year-old Spruce Grove man travelled to Calgary expecting to meet a youth for sex. He was arrested instead, by investigators who had been talking with him undercover since August.
Franklin Lopez was arrested in Calgary on Oct. 2, according to the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT). The provincially funded agency brings together specialized police resources to investigate serious and organized crime.
The arrest followed an undercover investigation by ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit.
Police allege the conversations turned sexually explicit, and that Lopez arranged to meet the person he believed was a minor. Investigators say he even offered to bring a “day-after pill.”
Lopez faces four charges:
Luring a child
Making an arrangement or agreement to commit sexual offences against a child
Invitation to sexual touching
Making child sexual abuse and exploitation material
None of the charges have been proven in court.
Conversations moved from social media to private messaging
ALERT says the conversations started on social media, then moved to a private messaging app.
Staff Sgt. Gordon MacDonald of the ICE unit said that’s when they turned explicit.
“Once the suspect moved the conversation from social media to private messaging, it quickly became sexually explicit, even despite the suspect being alerted that he was chatting with a youth,” MacDonald said.
He said moving to private messaging is often a way to get around platforms’ safety features.
“Trying to steer users towards private messaging applications is a tactic often employed to evade built-in platform securities of mainstream social media services,” he said.
Police say Lopez then travelled to Calgary for the meeting. ICE investigators arrested him there, with help from the Calgary Police Service.
Police investigating whether there are other victims
ALERT says no child was harmed in this case.
Investigators are now going through electronic devices seized from Lopez to find out whether there are other victims. The forensic analysis is still underway, and police haven’t said whether anyone else has been identified.
Anyone with information about this case, or any child exploitation offence, is asked to contact local police or Cybertip.ca.
Can someone be charged if the “child” was an undercover officer?
Yes. Under section 172.1 of the Criminal Code, luring means communicating online with someone the accused believes is underage, to help commit certain sexual offences. The person doesn’t have to really be a child.
Section 172.2 covers agreeing or arranging to commit a sexual offence against a child. It says plainly that it’s no defence if the other person was a police officer, or if the child didn’t exist.
Both offences carry a maximum of 14 years in prison when prosecuted by indictment. That’s the maximum, not an automatic sentence.
What parents should know
ALERT has given parents the same advice in several recent cases:
Watch for pressure to switch apps. On its own, it isn’t proof of anything. Combined with secrecy, sexual talk or a push to meet in person, it’s a warning sign.
Turn off location sharing on your kids’ apps.
Keep talking with your kids about who they meet online, so they feel safe telling you when something’s off.
Report it to local police or Cybertip.ca, Canada’s national tipline for online child sexual exploitation.
Other recent child exploitation investigations in Alberta
This is the third case ALERT’s ICE unit has announced in recent weeks.
On Sept. 25, ALERT announced the arrest of an 18-year-old Edmonton man. He’s accused of using Snapchat’s location sharing to track two youths and show up at their family home. Investigators urged parents to check location settings on their kids’ devices.
On Sept. 29, ALERT charged a Sherwood Park man accused of using artificial intelligence to make child sexual abuse material.
Edmonton police have a separate case. Michael Doucette, 54, is charged in an alleged sexual assault of a child at an unlicensed day home.
Police haven’t said any of these cases are connected.
Franklin Lopez due in court Oct. 28
Lopez was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 28. ALERT hasn’t said which courthouse.
The forensic review of his devices is ongoing.
The charges against Lopez are allegations and have not been proven in court.
Sources
ALERT: ALERT ICE: Spruce Grove man attempted to arrange for sex with youth
Criminal Code, section 172.1: Luring a child
Criminal Code, section 172.2: Agreement or arrangement, sexual offence against child
ALERT: ICE arrest prompts warning about location sharing
ALERT: Sherwood Park man accused of using AI to make child sexual abuse materials
Cybertip.ca
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