The alleged target of a Saskatoon high school teacher accused in a child pornography case is between the ages of eight and 10, according to police.
The case against Rhett Jeffrey Lundgren, 39, has been adjourned until Jan. 31 to allow lawyers to review disclosure of the evidence. Lundgren, a teacher at Walter Murray Collegiate, made his first court appearance Dec. 9, charged with two counts of arranging to commit a sexual offence against a child and one count of attempting to access child pornography. He was released from custody and has not been present at either of his court appearances since.
According to police, the Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit executed a search warrant and arrested Lundgren on Dec. 8, nine days after launching an investigation into the online sexual exploitation of children through social media. The investigation involved members of the ICE unit checking an “online chat” component of a social media application, Sgt. Scott Lambie said in an interview.
Police allege that Lundgren was communicating with another adult about committing an offence against a child between the ages of eight and 10, not a student at Walter Murray Collegiate.
Lundgren’s release conditions prohibit him from having contact with anyone under the age of 16 unless supervised by someone who is aware of his charges. He is also banned from using computer devices of any kind.
Lambie said parents need to be aware of what social media applications their children are using. Thankfully, he added, many sites have started assisting police in order to stop child exploitation.
The Saskatoon Public School Division confirmed Lundgren was a work education teacher at Walter Murray Collegiate and has been suspended without pay.
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