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The man who was involved in an Amber Alert in Saskatchewan last year has signed a plea agreement in South Dakota.
According to The Canadian Press, Benjamin Martin Moore will plead guilty to possession of child pornography as part of the agreement filed last week in South Dakota court.
The offence carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a period of supervised release of five years to life.
In August of 2022, the RCMP said officers went to a house in Eastend with representatives of the Ministry of Social Services to check on the home’s residents: A woman, her two children, and her common-law partner — Moore.
Officers found the house empty. The Ministry of Social Services sought an apprehension order for the children, which in turn prompted the Mounties to issue the Amber Alert.
At that time, police confirmed Moore had a history of sexual offences.
A warrant was issued for Moore’s arrest on a charge of failing to report information to the Registration Centre within seven days after a change of main or secondary residence. Those reports are required under the Sex Offender Registry Act.
He later also was charged by the RCMP with breaching a weapons prohibition order.
During the search, the Mounties extended the Amber Alert into South Dakota. That’s where the group was found after a camper met Moore at the motorcycle rally in Sturgis.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection subsequently issued a statement saying Moore — along with the woman and the two children — “crossed into the United States illegally by driving through a barbed wire fence located near the Turner Port of Entry” in Montana.
According to court documents filed as part of the plea agreement, U.S. agents who found the group in South Dakota pinned Moore’s vehicle to stop him from fleeing with the woman and children.
The documents say a cellphone and SIM card found in Moore’s possession contained child pornography. Police also found an extensive number of electronic devices.
The U.S. court filings added that when Moore initially was contacted by Social Services, he lied and said he, the woman and her children were in Ontario.
The plea agreement in South Dakota is to be considered by a judge. A date for sentencing has not been set.
Canadian court records show Moore was convicted in 2009 on a charge of sexual interference of a minor. He was sentenced in Regina Provincial Court to two years and two months in jail.
The records also say he served three months in jail in 2011 after he was convicted of breaching a recognizance order.
— With files from The Canadian Press
