Prince George RCMP has arrested one man as part of a Child Pornography investigation.
On Tuesday December 16th, 2014, 51 year old Edward Owen Berry was arrested and taken into custody. Berry has residences in both Prince George and Vancouver BC and was released on several conditions including no contact with anyone under the age of 16 and not to possess any device that allows internet access. Police say search warrants were executed during the investigation.
Berry will appear in Prince George Provincial court on January 28, 2015 facing charges of possession of child pornography and accessing child pornography.
At the time of his arrest, Berry was an ‘executive director’ with the Ministry of Children and Family Development. The BC College of Social Workers lists his roles as “child welfare, child/youth mental health, youth justice and child/youth special needs services in Northeast and North Central BC”
Police say although Berry wasn’t identified till last month, this investigation began in June 2014 and is continuing.
Meanwhile the Ministry of Children and Family Development responded to today’s news with a brief statement from Minister Stephanie Cadieux confirming he was a former employee of the ministry.
“The nature of those charges are deeply concerning to all of us,” says Cadieux, “including to the members of the ministry’s dedicated staff, who work everyday to make a positive impact in the lives of children.”
Cadieux says she cannot speak to specifics of this case, but says the ministry is cooperating with police and that no further information will be released as it is now before the courts.