HALIFAX -- A former tennis instructor facing child exploitation charges in Nova Scotia has pleaded guilty to illegally entering the United States on May 31, the RCMP say.
The Mounties also confirmed Aaron Byron Cumberland, who used to live in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley, is facing two charges in Canada for allegedly violating release conditions he agreed to after he was charged in November with three counts of luring a child.
RCMP Const. Mandy Edwards, a member of the force's Internet Child Exploitation unit, says Cumberland was also charged last fall with one count of making sexually explicit material available to a child and one charge of invitation to sexual touching.
The five charges involve three children from King's County whose allegations cover a time frame between March 2016 and November 2017.
Edwards says the 27-year-old accused remains in the U.S., where his case is being handled by immigration officials.
Meanwhile, RCMP in New Brunswick have issued a warrant for his arrest regarding the alleged breaches of his release conditions, which included an order not to leave Nova Scotia or to possess a device capable of accessing the internet.
Cumberland's next court appearance in Canada is scheduled for June 21 in Kentville, N.S., and he is expected to stand trial on some charges in October.
He was one of three Canadians charged with unlawful entry into the United States on May 31.
According to court documents filed June 1 with the U.S. District Court in Bangor, Maine, the three were apprehended near Houlton, Maine, which is not far from the border crossing at Woodstock, N.B.
The RCMP say the other two Canadians were not involved in the child exploitation case.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency says the trio crossed the border at a spot that is not designated as a port of entry.
In an affidavit submitted to the court, border patrol agent Matthew McLellan said the three were seen carrying backpacks on the Canadian side of the border on a road parallel to the international boundary before they were spotted on a road in Maine that leads away from the border.
The agent said a fingerprint check later determined Cumberland is facing charges in Nova Scotia.
The affidavit says Cumberland had a cellphone and a laptop with him when he was arrested.
McLellan said all three initially offered false names, saying they had "no claimed countries of citizenship."
"They also initially claimed to not believe in or recognize international borders or boundaries but believe that travel between countries should be free and uninhibited," the affidavit said.
