Leduc man accused of luring Edmonton-area girls on Snapchat, making child pornography

Police say a 49-year-old man from Leduc is facing dozens of charges, including luring and making child pornography.

The man is accused of targeting six Edmonton-area girls aged 15 and 16 on social media like Snapchat.

Investigators with ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit allege he would lure victims to meet in person to perform sexual acts.

Six victims have been identified, according to ALERT. Authorities say they were notified after a youth counsellor first reached out through ALERT’s cybertip line in April.

The suspect was arrested during a search warrant Thursday. Police say several electronic devices were seized, including a smart phone and laptop.

“But this investigation doesn’t stop here,” said Det. Christine Sawatsky with ICE. “We have reason to believe there are more victims we have yet to identify as we discover images and videos on these devices.”

ICE tells CityNews there could be at least four more potential victims.

“The victims came forward saying the child luring was occurring, and involving several other female victims that were all known for each other,” Sawatsky said.

“What stands out is the amount of victims and that he was able to conduct himself online without his identity being known.”

ICE says the man may be known to his victims under the usernames “burkeishere2525,” “devonhouston25,” “keenonhedstrom,” “treyliles2424,” “Koen(Trey)Black,” “Koenblack25,” “Trey_burton2025,” or by his pseudonym Burke.

Investigators say sex crimes that start with grooming on social media are becoming more common. The technology can kelp criminals be anonymous while making the gathering of evidence more difficult, especially when companies are based in the United States.

“We hope that by releasing his usernames, that more victims will be encouraged to come forward and speak with police,” Sawatsky added.

Anyone with information is asked to contact local police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

“I just want to encourage the additional victims out there to come forward to the police, to have them know they will not be blamed for any of their actions in this case, they will be met with compassion and empathy and that supports will be provided to them through the Zebra Centre,” Sawatsky said.

Campbell Fergusson is facing 27 charges, including six counts of luring and making child pornography. He remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court Thursday. None of the allegations have been tested in court.

A photo of Fergusson was previously on the Leduc and County Basketball Association (LCBA) website, though it has since been taken down.

Fergusson’s personal Facebook page lists him as a former member of the LCBA.

Police tell CityNews there is no evidence he met alleged victims while in his role coaching youth sports.

–With files from Lauren Boothby