Friday, February 13, 2009

More info on the June Ave School situation

In today's Mercury folks. From reporter Scott Tracey:

Deon Ellsworth was shocked this week to learn a suspect in a child pornography case lives near the elementary school his daughters attend.
"I was kind of shocked that they would let him live in a school area," Ellsworth said yesterday as he waited in his truck in front of June Avenue Public School for his daughters, aged six and nine. "My wife was really upset about it."
Students at the kindergarten to Grade 6 school brought home a letter Wednesday from principal Andrew Creighton.
The letter, which was actually written by school board communications officer Maggie McFadzen, acknowledges the suspect lives near the school.
"While this is an unsettling situation, we will continue to keep the safety of our students foremost in everything we do at June Avenue school," the letter reads.
One concerned parent provided the letter to community activist Cam Guthrie, who posted it on his blog, www.stopchildporn.ca.
McFadzen said a few concerned parents spoke to Creighton after reading about the case in the newspaper "and we put the letter out to inform the school community that we are on our guard.
"It was simply a letter to reassure the school community," McFadzen said.
But Ellsworth was not reassured.
"It's pretty disturbing," he said, adding he learned from speaking to other parents that the suspect lives across from a park about 600 metres from the school "and a lot of kids go there to play, especially in the nicer weather."
Fellow parent Kim Brenner was similarly disturbed by the news.
"Of course it concerns me that a person with that charge is in the area," said Brenner, whose daughter attends June Avenue. "Of course."
Brenner noted it is fortunate police are aware of the suspect, who is free on $2,500 bail with a long list of conditions, including a ban on being near parks, playgrounds and schools.
The suspect was one of three area men arrested last week as part of a massive provincewide child pornography investigation; the largest of its kind in Ontario history.

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