Woodlawn High School employee charged in child luring investigation

Explainer

A staff member at Woodlawn High School in Dartmouth has been charged in relation to a child luring investigation. Nova Scotia RCMP said officers received information on Oct. 30 that someone in the Halifax area had communicated with a youth online for a sexual purpose. Police identified the online user as Bennett Gordon Thomas, 33, from Cole Harbour, on Nov. 6. He was arrested at a traffic stop near his home on Nov. 9 and has been charged with luring a child and making sexually explicit material available to a child. The Halifax Regional Centre for Education confirmed the accused is an employee and said he has been placed on leave. Lindsey Bunin, communications officer with the Halifax Regional Centre for Education, said in an email on Thursday the organization is aware "that an employee of the Halifax Regional Central for Education is facing serious charges." The principal of Woodlawn High School informed families in an email that "a member of our staff has been arrested and is facing serious charges related to an incident that occurred outside of school." The email, seen by Global News and CBC News, linked to the RCMP news release about the charge.

What are the specific charges and court details?

Bennett Gordon Thomas faces two charges under the Criminal Code: luring a child and making sexually explicit material available to a child. Police arrested him on Monday, Nov. 9, at a traffic stop near his residence in Cole Harbour. During the arrest, officers seized an electronic device from the vehicle. Thomas was released on conditions following his arrest. He is scheduled to appear in Dartmouth Provincial Court on Dec. 16 to answer to the charges.

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What evidence did police collect and how did the investigation unfold?

The investigation began when officers received information on Oct. 30 about an online user communicating with a youth for a sexual purpose. Investigators from the Provincial Internet Child Exploitation Unit identified the user as Thomas on Nov. 6. Three days later, on Nov. 9, members of that unit, with assistance from the RCMP Halifax Regional Detachment Community Action Response Team, arrested Thomas at the traffic stop. Police said an electronic device was seized during the arrest. Later that same day, officers executed a search warrant at a home on Flying Cloud Drive in Cole Harbour. The RCMP said members of the Provincial Internet Child Exploitation Unit and RCMP Digital Forensic Services, assisted again by the Community Action Response Team, collected additional electronic evidence from the residence.

How has the school and school board responded?

The Halifax Regional Centre for Education confirmed that the accused is an employee. Communications officer Lindsey Bunin said in a statement that the organization is aware an employee is facing serious charges. "The employee has been placed on leave and families have been notified," Bunin told Global News. "The safety and wellbeing of our students is our highest priority, and I can assure you that HRCE takes these matters very seriously." She added, "As this is a personnel matter, and a police investigation, we are unable to provide further comment." The principal's email to Woodlawn High School parents noted that the school is cooperating fully with the investigation and that counsellors are available to support students.

What are police warning the public about?

In their news release, RCMP investigators said they believe additional victims may have been targeted online. They are urging parents and guardians to speak with their children about online safety. Police also asked the public to "report any suspicious activity or communication to local police." The release included a reminder that in Nova Scotia, it is mandatory to report suspected child sexual abuse and exploitation material to local police or through Canada's national tipline at cybertip.ca. Failure to report can result in penalties under the Child Pornography Reporting Act. The RCMP provided a link to learn more about supports and resources from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. Nosy Mag reported in October on a separate Nova Scotia case where a man was convicted of luring a teen online and possessing child exploitation material. Thomas is scheduled to appear in Dartmouth Provincial Court on Dec. 16.

With files from CBC News, Global News and CityNews