Former high school cook faces child porn charges
Last Updated: Thursday, December 20, 2007 | 5:11 PM MT
CBC News
A cook who also worked as a teacher's assistant at an Edmonton high school has been charged with possessing and transmitting child pornography.
Todd Tenetuik, 40, resigned as a cook and teacher's aide at L.Y. Cairns School last month, officials said Thursday. He had also worked as a volunteer maintenance worker at Kids Kottage, a charity that helps kids and families in crisis, in 2002.
Officials stressed that no children from L.Y. Cairns School were involved in the case.
(CBC)
Edmonton police said Thursday they found no evidence that any children from the school or Kids Kottage were involved.
A joint police investigation began in May after U.S. officials received information about a man looking for people online to role play as pre-teen girls, police said Thursday.
Edmonton police and the northern Alberta Integrated Child Exploitation team — which investigates sexual exploitation of children over the internet — searched a home in southwest Edmonton in October and found images and videos of children between one and 11 years old being sexually abused. They also found sexually explicit chat conversations.
Tenetuik was charged with two counts related to child pornography. He was granted bail and is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 26.
Officials at L.Y. Cairns, a school for kids with disabilities, said the 500 students have always been safe.
"Knowing my school and where the individual worked, not concerned at all, I'll be honest with you," said principal Gord Hanson. "We were surprised, shocked and now we've moved on from it."
Despite some parents asking for more thorough and regular background checks, the public school board said it has no plans to review its policies.
