Todd Allen Sawler facing more sex-related charges involving children

A 44-year-old man from Nine Mile River, who was previously charged with sex-related offences, is now also facing sexual assault and child pornography charges.

Nova Scotia RCMP say Todd Allen Sawler was arrested at his home on Friday and charged with:

• Possession of child pornography.
• Distribution of child pornography.
• Accessing child pornography.
• Making arrangements to commit a sexual offence against a child (two counts).
• Sexual assault.

Sawler was previously arrested on Jan. 26 and charged with two counts of child luring and one count of making sexually explicit material available to a child.

In April 2015, the Lower Sackville RCMP received a complaint about an 11-year-old girl and a 12-year-old girl receiving inappropriate messages online.

The case was turned over to the Internet Child Exploitation unit and a 10-month-long investigation began.

As a result of that investigation, police said they gathered evidence of a Nova Scotia man who was posing as a 15-year-old boy online and sending inappropriate messages.

Sawlor was arrested in January 2016. His home was searched and police seized electronic devices.

"Unfortunately we see this type of activity all too often and we want to remind citizens about the importance of being cautious while online," Const. Vicki Colford said in a statement in January.

"We also urge parents to take a close look at their children's social media accounts and ask questions. You know who your child's school friends are, but it's just as important to know who their online friends are."

Sawler was scheduled to appear in Shubenacadie provincial court on Monday.