Port Colborne man charged with luring minor

On By Rgal Nv

PRESS RELEASE
NIAGARA REGIONAL POLICE SERVICE
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In January 2024, Ontario Provincial Police detectives assigned to the Child Sexual Exploitation Unit launched an undercover investigation into the luring of minors using the Internet. In April 2024, the Niagara Regional Police Service’s Internet Child Exploitation Unit and the Ontario Provincial Police’s Child Sexual Exploitation Unit launched a joint investigation on a suspect residing in Port Colborne.

On June 10, 2024, detectives from the Niagara Regional Police Service’s Internet Child Exploitation Unit and Technology Crime Unit executed a search warrant at a private residence in Port Colborne and seized numerous devices capable of storing electronic data.

Marc Oliver Marier (33 years old) was arrested and now faces the following charges:

  • 1 count of luring a child by telecommunications to facilitate sexual assault

  • 1 count of possession of child pornography

  • 1 count of accessing child pornography

  • 1 count making child pornography accessible

Marc Oliver Marier, who used the online alias “Atlas Xavier,” was taken into custody following his arrest and is scheduled to appear for a bail hearing on June 10, 2024 at the Robert SK Welch Courthouse, located at 59 , Church Street, in the city. of Sainte-Catharines.

Online platforms that allow like-minded users to interact with minors, create, share, and store child sexual abuse material (CSAM) are prevalent on the Internet. Offenders who attempt to lure children behind an anonymous account on different platforms can be identified and will be held accountable for their actions.

For more information on how parents and guardians can keep children safe online, CLICK HERE

The Niagara Regional Police Service is a member of the Provincial Strategy to Protect Children from Internet Sexual Abuse and Exploitation and investigates Internet child exploitation offenses in partnership with police services of Ontario and international partners. This investigative initiative was made possible by a grant from the Ministry of the Solicitor General.

Members of the public who wish to provide information anonymously are encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers of Niagara online or by calling 1-800-222-8477. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards to people who contact the program with information leading to an arrest.

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