News release

Surrey man sentenced for Sexual Interference in Campbell River

January 21, 2026 - Campbell River, British Columbia
From: Campbell River RCMP

Content

Campbell River file 24-4262

On January 13, 2026, Dillon Caleb Partanen, age 33, pleaded guilty to Sexual Interference, Possession of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material, and Failing to Comply with a Probation Order and was sentenced to 5 years in jail. This sentence was handed out as a result of an incident that occurred in Campbell River in April of 2024 involving a youth. As part of his sentence, Partanen was also ordered to provide his DNA and register with the National Sex Offender Registry which he will remain on for his lifetime.

Sometime in 2023, Partanen, a resident of Surrey, started engaging with the youth on the social media platform, Snapchat. In April of 2024, Partanen travelled to Campbell River where he met the youth and committed the offences. Police were alerted to the incident the day of, and Partanen was subsequently arrested in Campbell River then released with conditions which included to not be in Campbell River while he awaited the court process.

“This incident is a stark reminder of the dangers that lurk in the online world,” explained Cst. Maury Tyre with the Campbell River RCMP.   “It is so very important for guardians to not just educate, but to supervise the online world in which our youth spend much of their time. Even with internal safeguards of many social media sites, they are still a major meeting place for those who wish to traffic and take advantage of young people.”

The Campbell River RCMP would like to thank the BC Prosecution Service for their hard work and dedication on this difficult investigation.

Contacts