A 36-year-old man from Blairmore is facing multiple charges related to child sexual exploitation and firearms offences following an investigation led by Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams’ (ALERT) Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit, with assistance from Crowsnest Pass RCMP.William McQueen was arrested on April 28, after ICE executed a search warrant at his residence. McQueen had previously been arrested in October 2019 for similar offences.The latest charges against McQueen include possession, access, and distribution of child pornography. Additional charges were laid after investigators discovered an improperly stored firearm in his home, resulting in multiple firearms offences.ALERT launched the investigation after receiving a tip from the RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Crime Centre. McQueen is accused of sharing child sexual exploitation material via the social media platforms Discord and Snapchat.McQueen has been released from custody under a number of court-imposed conditions and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.Blairmore is located about 220 km southwest of Calgary, near the British Columbia border.Authorities are encouraging anyone with information related to this case or any suspected child exploitation activity to contact their local police or make an anonymous report through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.ALERT is funded by the Alberta Government and brings together the province’s top law enforcement resources to combat serious and organized crime.
