Sextortion: The Hidden Pandemic – A free community movie-viewing event!

(QUEEN CREEK, AZ) - The Pinal County Attorney’s Office is partnering with the Queen Creek Police Department to present “Sextortion: The Hidden Pandemic,” a documentary highlighting the impact of a crime that is impacting children in our communities.

The film features a real life case and takes a deep dive into the world of online grooming and sextortion. Both QCPD and the Pinal County Attorney’s office have handled several cases that fall under ‘sextortion.’ Generally, this term includes the coercement of inappropriate pictures from children, with the predator threatening to release them publicly unless they receive more content or money in return.

A panel of experts including the filmmakers, QCPD detectives and PCAO staff attorneys will be available to answer questions after the viewing on September 17th.

The safety of our children is a big priority for Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer and QCPD Chief Randy Brice.

“We are very excited about this partnership with the Pinal County Attorney’s Office. These crimes are extremely difficult to solve and can be traumatic for the victims and their families. We want to keep our children safe and prevention is the best strategy for mitigating these issues. We really hope to see as many parents and teens as possible at this free movie viewing event,” stated Queen Creek Police Chief Randy Brice.

While the movie is free, tickets are required. Residents interested in attending the event are asked to sign up at bit.ly/3BWIRkw.

“The reality is predators go to great lengths to trick and extort our children,” said County Attorney Kent Volkmer. “Whether it be apps, gaming consoles or social media, any child who has access to the internet can become a potential target of a predator, which makes awareness and education vital in protecting our kids.”

The event takes place on Saturday, September 17 from 1 p.m. – 4p.m. at the Queen Creek Performing Arts Center located at 22149 E. Ocotillo Road, in Queen Creek. It is currently the only scheduled showing of the film in Arizona.

You can learn more about the film at https://sextortionfilm.com/.

For questions regarding the event please contact Michael Pelton, Public Information Officer for the Pinal County Attorney’s Office at Michael.pelton@pinal.Gov  or Sonu Wasu, Public Information Officer of Public Safety for the Town of Queen Creek at  sonu.wasu@queencreekaz.gov.

Parental advisory: This movie content includes sensitive topics such as sexual exploitation of a minor, suicide/suicidal ideation, and human/sex trafficking.

Sextortion Film

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