Man living at North End at-home daycare charged with sexual assault, possession of child pornography

Police have charged Robert Dale Prince with several child pornography offences after they say two children were assaulted at a home daycare on Aberdeen Avenue, with images of the alleged abuse found on an electronic device. Morgan Modjeski reports.

Winnipeg police have arrested and charged a man, who was previously charged with sexual assault and sexual interference last fall, in connection with child pornography found online.

Police say the 36-year-old man lived at a North End residence that doubled as an at-home unlicensed daycare. The man was not employed at the home daycare.

Winnipeg police say he is in custody following an investigation by the force’s internet child exploitation (ICE) unit.

The news shocked nearby neighbour Lachelle Packulak, who lives in a separate unit in the same building as the daycare. She says she never thought something like this would happen so close to home.

“No. Not here, like, you see so many families coming, they’re just looking for child care, this is just crazy,” said Packulak.

Packulak says she too almost used the daycare, but ended up deciding against it.

“I feel awful because I thought about having my kids stay there, so imagine if I did take her up on it, my kid would have been there. Wow,” she said.

Investigators determined the man uploaded child sexual abuse imagery (child pornography) to social media last April. ICE was alerted to the online images in January.

Police said the images were on a popular social media platform, not on the dark web.

Police say the seizure and analysis of the man’s electronic device revealed more than 150 photos and videos of child sexual abuse imagery.

The suspect faces multiple charges, including sexual assault, sexual interference and possession of child pornography. He was detained in custody.

The 36-year-old was previously charged with sexual assault and sexual interference last October. The Winnipeg Police Service’s child abuse unit determined a child under 10 years old was assaulted at the at-home daycare on Aberdeen Avenue where the man lived. The alleged assault is believed to have taken place between July and August 2021.

Police did not specify if the daycare is still operational.

The daycare operator, Donna Prince, was married to the accused for 11 years.

“I’m very furious right now,” she said. “I’m upset. I had no idea any of this was happening. He hid everything from me.”

Prince says she’s been getting numerous hate messages as a result of the charges laid against her former partner. She’s hoping he’s convicted.

“This has nothing to do with me at all,” she added.

In Manitoba, unlicensed daycares are permitted to operate with a maximum of four children under the age 12, with no more than two of the children can be under the age of two.

The police’s internet child exploitation division determined two of the children captured on the images found on the man’s electronic device had previously attended the daycare. One of the children was determined to be from the 2021 child abuse investigation.

The ICE unit is continuing with its investigation.

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