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Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Man faces charges following child pornography investigation

Yesterday, following an ongoing child pornography investigation conducted with members of the Greater Sudbury Police Service’s Cyber Crime Unit, and the execution of a search warrant, members of the North Bay Police Service’s Criminal Investigation Service arrested Joseph D Pezzola, age 59 at his North Bay residence and charged him with:
Two counts of possession of child pornography; and
One count of accessing child pornography.

It is alleged that the accused accessed child pornography files through an online file sharing network and saved numerous files of child pornography on his personal computer and on DVDs.

The accused was held in custody for bail.

As a result of the search of his residence, police seized three computer towers, a thumb drive containing child pornography and over 500 DVDs for forensic analysis. The investigation continues.

Acknowledgement
The North Bay Police Service is part of the Ontario Provincial Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation on the Internet. This partnership was made possible by a grant from the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services and the Ministry of the Attorney General.

Help is available
If you are aware of a child at immediate risk of online sexual assault or exploitation, call 9-1-1 immediately or call the North Bay Police Service at 705-497-5555.

Kids in the Know
Kids in the Know is the Canadian Centre for Child Protection’s interactive safety education program designed for students from Kindergarten to Grade 9. The purpose of the program is to help educators and parents teach children and youth effective personal safety strategies in an engaging, age-appropriate and interactive way that builds resiliency skills and reduces their likelihood of victimization in the online and offline world. The content is research and evidence-based, balances empowerment with protection, communicates without value statements, builds from past experiences, involves activity-based learning, and facilitates important discussions about personal safety without the use of fear. Visit www.kidsintheknow.ca for more information.

Home invasion

The North Bay Police Service is currently investigating a home invasion that occurred on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016 at approximately 4:15 a.m. on Champlain Street, near Algonquin Avenue. Unknown persons broke into the residence of a man and assaulted him. He was seriously injured as a result and required medical treatment in hospital. An unknown weapon is believed to have been used in what police believe was a targeted attack.

There are no public safety concerns linked to this occurrence.

How to submit a tip
Anyone with information that may assist police with this investigation is asked to contact Detective Constable Helene Boissonneault at the North Bay Police Service at 705-497-5555. For those who wish to remain anonymous, contact Near North Crime Stoppers, by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or by submitting a tip online at nearnorthcrimestoppers.com.