A Calgary man is facing 19 Criminal Code offences for allegedly luring a youth online.
The charges come on the heels of a two-month investigation by Cochrane RCMP and Alberta’s Integrated Child Exploitation team following a tip that an adult male inappropriately messaged a 15-year-old male over the Internet.
Cpl. Mel Calahasen said the youth and the accused communicated a number of times, even meeting in person. “We were contacted by the victim’s parents, who were concerned about messages they had read through their son’s email,” said Calahasen.
Alexander Peluso Galarraga, 25, has been charged with 19 Criminal Code offences. The charges include sexual assault, invitation to sexual touching, luring a child for a sexual purpose and child pornography.
The accused will appear in Cochrane Provincial Court May 6.
Calahasen encouraged parents to keep a close eye on their children’s online presence. “Parents need to be diligent about their child’s Internet activity,” he remarked. “Know their passwords and monitor what is happening on their social networking and email accounts.”
Investigation into this matter is ongoing. Anyone with information regarding Galarraga is encouraged to contact Cochrane RCMP at 403-851-8000.
