Barrie man charged in relation to child exploitation investigation

Arrested man in handcuffs with hands behind back.

Serious charges have come down against a Barrie man after a months-long investigation.

A 39-year-old from Barrie is facing a number of charges relating to child sexual abuse and exploitation material.

Barrie police say the investigation began five months ago when the Internet Child Exploitation Unit followed a report from the National Centre of Missing and Exploited Children regarding the upload of child sexual abuse and exploitation material.

An investigation ensued that led police to a home in central Barrie in June, where a search warrant was executed.

At the home, police claim to have recovered “several” electronic devices allegedly belonging to the accused that were then seized for forensic analysis.

According to police’s forensics analysis results, the images, videos and other files found on the devices were categorized as child sexual abuse and exploitation material.

On Friday, police arrested the accused.

In addition to a charge of possession, the man is facing additional charges of accessing and distributing child sexual abuse and exploitation material.