Man facing luring charge to stand trial

A former Guelph man charged with trying to lure a 13-year-old girl for sex via the Internet and ordered to live with his father in Georgetown while on bail, will go to trial on the charge. Jason Jepson, 33, was committed to stand trial following a preliminary hearing Monday at the Ontario Court of Justice. He has elected to have a jury trial in the Superior Court. Defence counsel James Ruddock did not oppose committal to the higher court following the hearing, during which only one police officer testified. A publication ban was imposed on evidence heard during the preliminary hearing. Jepson was arrested Feb. 24, 2005, following a four-week undercover investigation by the OPP's Project P child pornography section. Following his arrest, police reported an officer posing as a 13-year-old girl communicated with Jepson from Jan. 27 to Feb. 21, 2005. It is alleged Jepson spoke to the officer, who he believed was a young girl, about performing sexual acts and also exposed himself in front of a web camera, police said at the time. The man spent a night in jail before being released on $5,000 bail. Since that time he has been living with his father in Georgetown and banned from being alone with anyone under 14 or from using computers or the Internet. Jepson will appear in Superior Court April 3 to set his next appearance date.