St. Thomas, Ont. music teacher charged with sexual assault, trafficking
A St. Thomas, Ont. man is facing several human trafficking-related charges following a police investigation.
Police say they were contacted by a female victim who reported she had been trafficking for several months in 2014 by a man she met when she was a minor.
Detectives from the St. Thomas Police Service's Street Crimes Unit, Criminal Investigations Bureau and Internet Child Exploitation Unit investigated for several months before making an arrest.
On Thursday, 59-year-old Eugene Andre Francois of St. Thomas was arrested without incident and his Talbot Street apartment was searched.
He has been charged with:
- sexual assault
- sexual exploitation
- traffic in persons under the age of 18 years
- material benefit resulting from trafficking in persons
- possession of child pornography
Police say Francois is known to have provided music lessons in the city and had regular contact with minors. They believe there may be other victims.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 519-631-1224 or Crime Stoppers anonymously and refer to case #ST21002500.
None of the charges have been proven in court.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
WHO likely to issue wider alert on contaminated cough syrup
The World Health Organization is likely to issue a wider warning about contaminated Johnson and Johnson-made children's cough syrup found in Nigeria last week, it said in an email.
WATCH Video shows dramatic police takedown of carjacking suspects chased through parking lot north of Toronto
Police have released video footage of a dramatic takedown of a group of teens wanted in connection with an attempted carjacking in Markham earlier this month.
Canada, G7 urge 'all parties' to de-escalate in growing Mideast conflict
Canada called for 'all parties' to de-escalate rising tensions in the Mideast following an apparent Israeli drone attack against Iran overnight.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Families to receive Canada Child Benefit payment on Friday
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.