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Child porn case resolution expected

The case of a former Sylvan Lake man charged in a major international child pornography sting operation, and later with a sexual assault, is to be resolved today, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

The case of a former Sylvan Lake man charged in a major international child pornography sting operation, and later with a sexual assault, is to be resolved today, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

Andrew John Tettersel, 33, now living in Red Deer, is expected to plead guilty to some of the six charges against him, Red Deer provincial court heard on Wednesday.

Paul Morigeau, Tetersell’s lawyer, told court he “has just one issue to be resolved” in putting together a statement of facts prior to the guilty plea being entered.

Morigeau is working out the agreed facts with a special Calgary prosecutor.

Morigeau said Tettersell will enter a plea and the facts will be read into the court record.

However, he will ask for an adjournment on sentencing to allow time for the compilation of a pre-sentence report. The accused remains in custody.

The report, which usually takes six to eight weeks to compile, is handled by a probation officer who examines several facets of the life of an accused to help the court issue a verdict.

Tettersell was initially charged last November with possession of child pornography, accessing child pornography, making available child pornography and making child pornography.

He was later released on conditions.

However, the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team’s Internet Child Exploitation Unit (ALERT), along with Red Deer RCMP, conducted a follow-up investigation and laid charges of sexual assault and sexual interference of a child less than 14 years old.

Tettersell was arrested on April 19 and held in custody.

Staff Sgt. Steve Lorne said earlier that forensic examination of the accused’s computer and hard drives indicated that an additional investigation was warranted.

An international child pornography investigation involving U.S., Canadian and European police services, called Project Sanctuary, led to the arrest of 25 men in Canada, 26 men in the U.S. and six in Europe last November.

ALERT is an umbrella organization set up by the provincial government to bring together the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources to tackle serious and organized crime. Some 400 municipal police, RCMP and sheriffs work for ALERT.

jwilson@www.reddeeradvocate.com