A 14-year-old B.C. girl and an alleged middle-aged john have been arrested after police say the teen was caught selling sex on Craigslist and recruiting other girls as prostitutes.
Chilliwack RCMP say the teen advertised her age as 18 in an ad placed in the "erotic services" section of the online classified site. Investigators believe she lured at least two other teens into the sex trade.
The girl and alleged client David Thomas Hilpert, 51, were both arrested on Nov. 5. She has been charged with one count of procuring people under the age of 18 for prostitution, and Hilpert faces two charges of sexual assault.
Police are looking into the possibility that more young girls were recruited by the teen suspect, and are asking anyone with any information about the case to come forward.
"Often when youth are involved, there will be someone who knows something," Cpl. Lea-Anne Dunlop said in a release.
"If you have concerns that one of your friends may be involved in the sex trade, talk to your parents, your school or a trusted adult and notify the police."
Hilpert and the teen girl are both scheduled for court appearances in December. Hilpert is currently out on bail with numerous conditions, including that he have no contact with people under the age of 16.
Corinne McCabe, superintendent of the Chilliwack School District, described the allegations as "disturbing" and said the district is working with police and parents to keep kids safe online.
She recommends the Safe Online Outreach Society as a resource for parents.
RCMP say that Craigslist is cooperating fully with the investigation, and the ad in question has been deleted.
The site has removed its "erotic services" section in the U.S. in response to concerns about human trafficking and other crimes connected to the listings. Canadian Justice Minister Rob Nicholson has also written to Craigslist asking for the removal of the section in this country.
