A 38-year-old man from Noonan, N.B., is facing 32 charges in connection with an ongoing sexual exploitation investigation and police continue their investigation to identify other potential victims.
On September 7, 2021, police arrested Michael Sorenson in connection with the ongoing sexual exploitation investigation On September 22, he appeared in Fredericton Provincial Court and was charged with 32 offences including:
- 12 counts of voyeurism
- 10 counts of making child pornography
- Three counts of sexual exploitation
- Three counts of possession of child pornography
- Two counts of invitation to sexual touching
- Sexual Interference
- Sexual assault
Six previously laid charges for sexual exploitation, sexual touching, voyeurism, making child pornography and possession of child pornography were vacated.
Michael Sorenson was released on strict conditions by the Court and is scheduled to return to Fredericton Provincial Court on November 12 to enter a plea.
The charges stem from incidents alleged to have occurred between 2008 and 2020, involving several identified victims as well as unknown victims.
A court-imposed publication ban is in place to protect the identities of the victims, as well as any information that could potentially identify them.
"We know this individual used to own a petting zoo in Noonan until 2020, and would travel across the province to different events, hiring locals who stayed at hotels with him," says Cpl. Hans Ouellette with the New Brunswick RCMP. "So far, we have identified several New Brunswick victims, and actively continue to investigate to identify other potential victims."
If you are a victim, or have any information related to these incidents or similar ones, please contact the New Brunswick RCMP's Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit at 506-452-3405. If you are not a victim but have information that may assist the investigation and would like to remain anonymous, please contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), by downloading the secure P3 Mobile App, or by Secure Web Tips at www.crimenb.ca.
For more information on online safety, please visit the following links:
The New Brunswick RCMP's Internet Child Exploitation Unit includes members from the Saint John Police Force and the Kennebecasis Regional Police Force. Members of the West District RCMP and the RCMP's Digital Forensic Services Unit are also involved with the investigation.
The investigation is ongoing.