An Aspen View School Board contracted bus driver in Smith has been arrested on child pornography charges.
Stanley Malone, 60, was arrested at his business in Smith last Wednesday after the Internet Child Exploitation investigation by RCMP was completed.
He has been charged with possession, accessing and making available child pornography.
ìAspen View Schools was recently notified that one of its bus contractors in the Smith area had been arrested on charges relating to child pornography,î Aspen View superintendent Brian LeMessurier commented.
ìThis individual is now in the hands of the courts and alternate transportation arrangements have been made to ensure that students on the affected bus route continue to have safe, uninterrupted bus service.î
However, lead investigator Det. Justin Brookes said, ìOf course looking into him, and learning that he had access to children, drove a school bus, that raises some red flags during an investigation, but there is nothing to say that he was having any contact with those kids.î
The investigation was started in November when Brookes went online searching for individuals.
ìI go online and look for individuals suspected of sharing and distributing child sexual abuse images or videos,î Brookes explained. ìHe just happened to be one of the individuals that I identified.î
The small community of Smith has approximately 200 residents.
ìThese types of offences always have a fairly significant impact on a community, whether large or small,î Brookes explained. ìIt just goes to show that it doesnít just happen in major centres. It happens everywhere unfortunately.î
