Alleged child luring attempt leads to charges for Welland man

A Welland man faces charges after an alleged attempt to lure a child into sexual activity.

In August (2024) Niagara Regional Police detectives from the Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit launched an investigation targeting individuals using the Internet to meet children for sexual purposes.

Police say a man allegedly communicated online with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.

On  Saturday (Sept. 7), the suspect allegedly arrived at a pre-arranged location intending to meet the girl for sexual purposes.

Detectives were waiting at the scene and arrested the man without incident, police say.

Robert Darryl Davis, 59, from Welland faces charges of:

• Luring a child via telecommunication to facilitate the offence of sexual interference.

Police believe Davis used the online aliases “Jim or Jimmy Wilson” and “Mike Wilson” to contact other children. They are encouraging anyone with information related to these aliases to contact the Niagara Regional Police Service at 905-688-4111.

Following his arrest, Davis remains in custody and is scheduled for a bail hearing on Sept. 8 at the Robert S.K. Welch Courthouse in St. Catharines.

Anyone wishing to provide information anonymously can contact Crime Stoppers of Niagara at 1-800-222-8477 or online.