A former Delta teacher, facing several child pornography offences, has turned himself in and is now awaiting a further court date.
Surrey RCMP have confirmed that Surrey resident Elazar Reshef, a former teacher at North Delta’s Gray Elementary, turned himself into Surrey provincial court on July 16 following a B.C.-wide arrest warrant.
According to court records, Reshef has been charged with two counts of making or publishing child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
He made his initial appearance on July 16 and is scheduled to appear in court next on Sept. 11. Court documents show that Reshef is not in custody.
Surrey RCMP began its investigation last year as a result of a notification received from an electronic service provider, which alleged that an account user had child pornography in their possession.
In an earlier response to the Optimist, the Delta School District said the safety and wellbeing of students is their paramount concern.
“In July 2019, upon hearing that Mr. Reshef was being investigated by the police we took immediate action to remove him from any interactions with students within the school district,” said Delta School District communications manager Cathryn Tucker. “This individual has not been at work since July 2019 and has not been permitted on Delta School District property since that time. We are working closely with Surrey RCMP. As this is a police matter, we urge anyone who may have information on this case to contact Surrey RCMP.”
RCMP say investigators have reviewed all available evidence and, at this point, no Lower Mainland children have been identified as potential victims. However, anyone who may have information that could assist in this investigation is asked to contact Surrey RCMP ICE investigators at 604-599-0502.
