Canadian sex offender’s trial delayed in South Dakota

By Ally Paige

The trial of Benjamin Martin Moore, a Canadian sex offender facing charges in the United States, has been postponed.

Initially scheduled to begin on Tuesday, the trial was delayed after a motion for continuance was granted by the court.

The delay comes as a result of the case being reassigned to a new judge.

Moore previously pleaded not guilty to the charges laid against him.

The former Eastend resident became the focus of an RCMP investigation in August of 2022 after an Amber Alert was released involving his common-law partner’s children.

When the alert was cancelled, the RCMP disclosed Moore has a history of sexual offences against children and was previously convicted of sexual interference with a minor.

It is alleged that Moore drove through a barbed wire fence at the international border crossing south of Climax, with the two children and their mother.

Moore was arrested in a campground near Sturgis, S.D. two days later. He had been staying there with the woman and her children.

In South Dakota, Moore is facing charges of possession of child pornography and transportation of an illegal alien.

In Saskatchewan, Moore is facing one charge of breach of a weapons prohibition order and one charge of failing to report information to a registration center within seven days after a change of main or secondary residence, as required by the Sex Offender Information Registration Act.

Moore is to remain in custody in South Dakota. The trial has now been rescheduled for Oct. 31 at 9 a.m.

According to the Saskatchewan RCMP, Moore is to face the charges in Saskatchewan when he returns to Canada. As for any charges connected to the Amber Alert, the RCMP only said it’s still investigating.