An Okotoks man is facing child pornography charges after investigators uncovered what police describe as one of the largest collections of child sexual exploitation material ever encountered in Alberta.The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit said more than 500,000 photos and videos depicting child sexual exploitation were seized from an Okotoks residence during a search conducted May 26.Investigators said the collection was stored across multiple computers and hard drives and ranks among the largest ever discovered by the specialized unit.“Behind every one of the photos and videos is a real child somewhere in this world that is being exploited for a sexual purpose,” said Staff Sgt. Gordon MacDonald of the ICE unit.“A collection of this size is deeply disturbing, as it would have also likely been used to trade and fuel demand.”For comparison, ICE investigators identified 622,150 child sexual exploitation images and videos across all investigations conducted throughout Alberta during the past year.Police allege the files belonged to 35-year-old Corey Airhart of Okotoks. He has been charged with possession of child pornography and accessing child pornography.The investigation began in January after the RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Crime Centre provided information alleging the suspect had uploaded child sexual exploitation material online. Okotoks RCMP assisted throughout the investigation.Airhart was arrested and later released from custody. He is scheduled to appear in Okotoks court on Aug. 8.Investigators are asking anyone with information related to the case to contact police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.ALERT, which is funded by the Alberta government, combines specialized law enforcement resources from across the province to combat serious and organized crime.
