Man charged with child porn after N.S. RCMP search home, arena

CHESTER, N.S. -- A longtime icemaker at a local rink is facing child pornography charges after the RCMP searched a home and an arena in the Chester, N.S. area this week.

Arnold (Butch) Leroy Zwicker, 61, is facing charges of possessing child pornography and accessing child pornography over the internet.

RCMP received a complaint Monday that an individual had been accessing child pornography online. They arrested Zwicker at a home in Chester Basin that evening.

“We were alerted to it by a member of the public and started the investigation from there,” said Cst. Jamall Gray.

Electronic devices were taken from his home in Chester Basin, and from his former employer, the Eleanor Pew Memorial Arena in Chester. Three firearms were also seized from his residence.

Zwicker appeared in Bridgewater court Wednesday morning, but made no comment on the charges filed against him.

Duty council and the Crown agreed to release him on a $1,000 surety and a number of conditions.

“He was released on conditions with a primary focus ensuring that there’s no contact with children and no ability to access the internet,” said Crown Attorney Sharon Goodwin.

Zwicker will also have to report to the RCMP regularly.

Zwicker, known as “Butch” to most, was the icemaker at a Chester hockey rink – the same facility that also houses a curling rink, which is the home of Mary Fay’s team of World Junior curling champions.

While they declined to speak on camera, rink officials say they are shocked by this news. They also said Zwicker hasn’t worked at the arena for more than a year, after being off for surgery.

According to rink officials, Zwicker is well-known at the arena and worked there for 17 years.

The Internet Child Exploitation Unit and Tech Crime Unit are both assisting Lunenburg District RCMP with the ongoing investigation.

“When we get a file like this, it becomes the top priority for members,” said Cst. Gray. “Anything that’s child-related, that’s top of the list.”

Zwicker will be back in Bridgewater court again in late April.

With files from CTV's Kelly Linehan.