RCMP have charged a St. Albert man with sexual assault and child luring, and they have taken the unusual step of releasing his photograph and known social media handles because they believe other victims have not yet come forward.
Eric Mark Simmons, 26, is charged with two counts of sexual assault, two counts of sexual interference, and luring a child under 16.
None of the allegations have been tested in court.
How the investigation started
It began with a parent.
On March 9, a parent contacted police after reading text messages between their child and an adult, and reported that the adult was in a relationship with the teen.
By March 25, investigators had identified several teenagers between the ages of 13 and 16 who said they had been in contact with the man since the fall of 2025. One of those teens has been confirmed as a victim.
RCMP say the man provided drugs and alcohol to teens in exchange for what were described as hangouts.
The Snapchat handles RCMP released
Police released two Snapchat IDs connected to Simmons and say he may have used others:
ericsimmons1738
ericsimmons9484
RCMP do not normally publish an accused person's social media accounts. They have done it here for one reason, which is that a parent who checks a phone tonight may find something a police investigation has not.
If either handle appears in your child's contacts, message list or recently deleted, contact St. Albert RCMP at 780-458-4300 rather than confronting your child's account yourself. Screenshots are useful. Deleting the thread is not, since it removes what investigators would work from.
Why police say the age range matters
The teens identified so far are between 13 and 16, and the contact goes back to last fall. That is a window of roughly ten months across an age group where parents often stop checking devices.
The exchange RCMP describe, drugs and alcohol offered in return for time together, is a pattern investigators in this province have seen repeatedly in cases involving social media contact with teenagers. It works because it does not present itself to the young person as an exchange. It presents as an adult being generous and easy to be around.
Police have not said how many teens they believe were in contact with Simmons overall, only that they believe there are additional victims.
If your child had contact with him
Contact St. Albert RCMP at 780-458-4300, or submit a tip anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Young people who have been through this are not in trouble, and that is worth saying out loud to a teenager before you ask them anything. Nothing about accepting alcohol, drugs or gifts from an adult makes a young person responsible for what an adult did. In Alberta, no one under 16 can legally consent to sexual activity with an adult, and no one under 18 can consent where the adult is in a position of trust or authority.
The other cases nobody connects to this one
This is at least the fourth St. Albert case in eight years to follow the same shape.
In 2018, a St. Albert cab driver was charged after RCMP alleged he offered rides and gifts to teenage girls he contacted through his phone. In 2020, a 41-year-old was charged over contact with a 15-year-old that police said ran two and a half years. In 2022, ALERT charged an Edmonton man over offences in Edmonton, Morinville and St. Albert, and after examining recovered material said they believed the number of children involved was far higher than the six first identified.
Every one of them opened the same way. An adult with something a teenager wanted and couldn't get on their own. Rides. Gifts. Alcohol. Time and attention with no conditions attached that a young person would recognise as conditions.
And in nearly every one, RCMP went public because they were confident the identified victims weren't all of them. They were usually right.
St. Albert is a city of about 70,000 where people tend to think of this as something that happens elsewhere. The record says otherwise, and the reason these cases keep surfacing isn't that the city is unusual. It's that a parent eventually picked up a phone and read something, which is exactly how this one started.
Where to get support
Alberta's One Line for Sexual Violence: call or text 1-866-403-8000, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Confidential support for anyone affected by sexual violence, with interpretation available in more than 200 languages by phone.
Zebra Child and Youth Advocacy Centre, Edmonton, 780-421-2385. Zebra supports children and youth through the disclosure, investigation and court process, working alongside police and Children's Services. It serves the Edmonton region, including St. Albert.
Child Abuse Helpline: 1-855-443-5722, for information about supports related to abuse, exploitation or neglect.
Child Intervention Provincial Intake Line: 1-800-638-0715, available 24 hours a day, to report suspected abuse or exploitation of a child.
Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868, or text CONNECT to 686868. Free and confidential, 24 hours a day, for young people.
If a child is in immediate danger, call 911.
In Alberta, reporting suspected child abuse is a legal obligation, not a choice.
Sources:
St. Albert RCMP, July 30, 2026
Government of Alberta, Find supports for child abuse, neglect and sexual exploitation: https://www.alberta.ca/find-supports-for-child-abuse-neglect-and-sexual-exploitation.aspx
Government of Alberta, Report child abuse: https://www.alberta.ca/report-child-abuse
Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton, Support and Information Line: https://www.sace.ca/sace-services/support-and-information-line/
Comments
Conversation