A High River woman appeared in person at Okotoks Provincial Court on Friday following charges from earlier this month.

Samantha Pedersen, 23, was granted $1,000 cash bail with conditions.

Pedersen is facing five counts of trafficking in persons under 18 years, five counts of procuring a person under 18 years, four counts of sexual exploitation of a young person and one count of assault.

The charges are a result from an investigation by an RCMP school resource officer who became aware that some local teens were being recruited via social media and exploited by adults for criminal purposes.  

Investigations revealed that five teenage girls between the ages of 13 and 16 had been victimized.

Pedersen is scheduled to appear in Okotoks Provincial Court again Nov. 18.

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