Saskatoon police filed charges against a man for child exploitation offences, only for a judge to release the man on bail later that same day.
In a statement released Wednesday, police said their investigation into Saskatoon-based Steven Wesley Mernickle, 41, began in March 2025.
According to their statement, that’s when the Saskatchewan Internet Childhood Exploitation Unit commenced an online investigation “relating to child exploitation.”
Two months later, Saskatchewan authorities executed a search warrant at an undisclosed property in Saskatoon.
After investigators seized and examined electronic devices, Mernickle was arrested, taken into custody, and charged with two counts of possession of child pornography and one count of making available child pornography.
Mernickle appeared in court on the same day as his arrest and was released on “numerous conditions.”
His next court appearance is set for June 12 at the Saskatoon Provincial Court.