RCMP release:
The Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit of the RCMP/HRP Integrated Criminal Investigation Division has arrested a man for child pornography offences.
On May 30, ICE, with assistance from Halifax Regional Police Digital Forensic Unit, RCMP Halifax Regional Detachment’s Street Crime Enforcement Unit and Community Action Response Team, executed a search warrant at a home in Eastern Passage after being notified by a social media platform that the Nova Scotia man was transmitting child pornography.
At the home, officers located and safely arrested a 52-year-old Eastern Passage man. During a search of the residence, officers located and seized electronic devices.
Todd Allen Sawler has been charged with:
- Failure to Comply with a Probation Order (two counts)
- Possession of Child Pornography (two counts)
- Accessing Child Pornography (two counts)
- Making Child Pornography
- Transmission of Child Pornography
- Failure to Comply with Order of Prohibition
This is the second time Sawler has been charged for offences involving children in the province of Nova Scotia.
Sawler appeared in Dartmouth Provincial Court on May 31 and was remanded into custody. He will return to court on June 17, 2024, at 9:30 a.m.
The investigation remains ongoing.
In Nova Scotia, it’s mandatory for citizens to report suspected child pornography. Anyone who encounters child pornography material or recordings must report it to police. Failing to report suspicious activity could result in penalties similar to failure to report child abuse set out in the Child and Family Services Act. The RCMP encourages citizens to be a voice for children who are victims of sexual exploitation by reporting any suspected offences to their local police or by using Canada’s National tip site for reporting online sexual exploitation of children: www.cybertip.ca.