Canadian allegedly attempted to sexually exploit teenager from Franklin

FRANKLIN, Virginia – A Canadian man is facing charges after he allegedly sent photos of genitals to a 14-year-old Franklin girl in an online chat room and then asked the child to send similar images in return.

Franklin police said Christopher Merner, 52, of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, is charged with enticement of a child, providing sexually explicit material to a child and indecent communication.

Police said the victim was in a chat room in March and received messages from an older man. The victim provided her age, and the man then sent her the inappropriate photos and asked her to send him similar images in return.

The incident was reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which in turn contacted Franklin police.

Following an investigation and with the assistance of INTERPOL officers, members of Canada’s Waterloo Regional Police Service obtained a search warrant for Merner’s Canadian home on Tuesday and subsequently arrested him.

Franklin police said Merner is currently in Canadian custody awaiting a bail hearing.