Canadian man allegedly pretended to be teen to sexually exploit Middle TN girl online
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A lengthy investigation ended late last month with the arrest of a Canadian man who is accused of sexually exploiting a Tennessee girl online.
The investigation was a collaborative effort between the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit.
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Authorities said the suspect, 38-year-old Tyler Clark, was arrested at his home in Medicine Hat, Alberta on April 25. The crimes he’s accused of date back to 2021, when the victim was just 11 years old.
According to investigators, there were over 7,000 messages exchanged between the girl and Clark. During their conversations, he allegedly coerced the girl into sharing “sexually explicit photos” with him via multiple online chat applications.
“We’re talking daily conversations that only stopped when it was discovered by the victim’s parent. This further underscores the need for parents to take a proactive role in understanding what their children are doing online,” said ALERT ICE Staff Sgt. Mark Auger.
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Clark reportedly told the girl that he was 13 years old when they began exchanging messages. A search of Clark’s home led to the seizure of multiple computers and electronic devices, which are still being analyzed by investigators.
He is being charged with child luring, making sexually explicit materials available to a child, making child pornography, possession of child pornography and accessing child pornography.
Clark was released from custody on a number of court-imposed conditions and is awaiting his next court appearance, which is scheduled for May 22.
“This arrest was only possible with the amazing responsiveness of the global network of like-minded Internet Crimes Against Children investigators. Together we transcended borders and remained diligent in our shared purpose of bringing justice to adults that are preying on our children,” said ICAC Task Force Detective Paul Lusk.
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Anyone with further information regarding the investigation or any child exploitation situation is asked to contact their local police department or to report their concern anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
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