Pornographic images found on Kitchener elementary school playground
The Waterloo Regional Police Service is investigating after pornographic images, some of young children, were found on a playground at a Kitchener elementary school.
The pictures, described as "printed camera images" by the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, were discovered Thursday by children at St. Anne Catholic Elementary School on East Avenue.
There were 10 pornographic images in total. Seven of them depicted young girls believed to be between the ages of four and seven.
"These images were incredibly disturbing for the children who did find them," said Const. Andre Johnson.
John Shewchuck, the Chief Managing Officer for the WCDSB, released a statement to CTV News saying, in part: "School staff have spoken with the families of all the children who saw the images (as well as the children themselves), and continue to be available to offer support to anyone who may need it."
A letter to parents, signed by the principal and vice-principal, added: "Going forward, we will continue to monitor the school yard diligently to help guard against having a recurrence of this issue."
"At this point I don't have any information that any of the children were directly targeted," said Cont. Johnson. "Clearly, this was left on the playground at the school, which is a cause for concern."
Members of the Cybercrime, Major Crime and Forensic Identification Units are now investigating the matter, in collaboration with school officials.
"We are appealing to the community for anyone with any information whatsoever," said Const. Johnson. "There are folks who may think that the information that they have is insignificant, but I can tell you any piece will definitely help in solving this and finding the person responsible."
Police said it isn't the first time pornographic images have been found at the school. Images of adults were found in November, said Const. Johnson. Police are working to determine if the two incidents are connected.
They are specifically looking for video surveillance taken between 7 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Jan. 20.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.