A three-year member of the Waterloo Regional Police Service has been charged by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in connection to an online child sexual exploitation investigation.
On November 22, 2022, members of the OPP's Child Sexual Exploitation Unit, Digital Forensics Unit and Huron County Detachment arrested and charged 36-year-old Matthew Kennedy following an online child sexual exploitation investigation that resulted in the execution of a search warrant at a home in Exeter and the seizure of several electronic devices.
The WRPS officer was arrested on Dec. 14, and has been charged with one count of possession of child pornography and one count of making available child pornography.
He was released from custody following a bail hearing with a scheduled court appearance in January 2023.
Kennedy had been previously suspended while facing unrelated Police Service Act charges currently before the tribunal, with the next appearance date scheduled for Jan. 4, 2023, at 10 a.m.
He will remain suspended with pay as per the requirements of the Police Services Act of Ontario.
Kennedy also made headlines as a New Blue Party candidate for Huron-Bruce in June's provincial election. The New Blue Party was established in 2020 by Cambridge lawyer Jim Karahalios. His wife Belinda served as Cambridge MPP.
A YouTube video from June shows several supporters of Kennedy, including Karahalios, gathered outside of WRPS headquarters on Maple Grove Road for a rally demanding the reinstatement of officers who refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation or any other similar incidents is asked to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or report at cybertip.ca. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or visit this link.
OPP asks parents to take proactive actions to protect their children by talking to them about internet safety.
"Members of the community are asked to remain vigilant on behalf of children and report any instance of child sexual abuse material. Together we can make a difference in the struggle against child exploitation," says Jordan Whitesell, OPP detective inspector.
Valuable resource are available at protectchildren.ca and cybertip.ca.
