The mayor of Abernethy says residents are shocked that a man living near the small Saskatchewan village has been charged in an international pedophile ring.
Janet Englot says residents in the community of about 200 people were unaware of the November 2009 arrest until it was announced by police Wednesday.
"We are shocked," Englot said. "It's not something that you would normally see in a village or in the smaller communities in our area."
David John Lapage, 68, is facing three charges: possession of child abuse images, accessing child abuse images and making available child abuse images.
While Englot doesn't know Lapage personally, she says he lives on a farm east of Abernethy.
Lapage is out on bail awaiting a preliminary hearing, which is scheduled for May 18. RCMP in Fort Qu'Appelle say they are monitoring the accused pedophile.
In all, 184 suspects were arrested in connection with what police say is one of the largest international pedophile rings ever uncovered.
The arrests were the result of a three-year investigation, code named Operation Rescue, which has so far identified 670 suspects in more than 30 countries, including police officers, teachers and scout leaders.
The European Union police agency Europol said that so far, investigators have safeguarded 230 children, the most ever in this type of investigation. The number of children identified and rescued will rise as the investigation continues, police said.
