By Alessia Proietti & Sheldon Spackman

September 2023

Preliminary hearing scheduled for Ponoka man accused of human trafficking

Apr 6, 2023 | 11:26 AM

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for a Ponoka man accused of human trafficking and sexual assault.

Christopher Becks, 37, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Edmonton provincial court from Sept. 27-29, 2023, to determine if his case has enough evidence to go to trial.

It was in October 2022, when ALERT Human Trafficking received information that a man was targeting vulnerable women, many with no fixed address, in the Edmonton area.

“It’s our understanding that this man was actively searching out women who were struggling with addiction. He would lure these women to hotels by offering drugs, food and a place to stay, then exploit them and force them into the sex trade, even taking them to other areas of the province,” said Staff Sgt. Christopher Hayes, ALERT Human Trafficking, at the time of Beck’s arrest.

On December 20, 2022, officials with ALERT say a search warrant was executed at a home in the Ottewell neighbourhood. The Edmonton Police Service assisted in the search warrant.

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Becks was arrested and charged with:

• Trafficking a person;
• Procuring;
• Material benefit from trafficking a person;
• Advertising sexual services;
• Sexual assault;
• Overcoming resistance to commission of offence; and
• Uttering threats.

“We believe that Becks has exploited more than a dozen women and we are asking these women to come forward. There’s a community of these women that he targets, and these women may better recognize him by the name ‘Bear’. We are here to help, but there’s only so much we can do with the intelligence we have collected thus far,” Hayes added.

ALERT Human Trafficking unit is looking to identify and speak with additional victims and witnesses. Anyone with information about this investigation is encouraged to call the Edmonton Police Service or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Related: ALERT charges Ponoka man with human trafficking and sexual assault related charges