A Lloydminster man has been sentenced to a combined eight years in custody after a 2024 investigation that uncovered both a child luring case and a cache of illegal firearms at his residence, Alberta Courts confirmed.
How the investigation started
RCMP executed a search warrant at a Lloydminster residence on April 16, 2024, as part of a child luring and invitation to sexual touching investigation.
During that search, RCMP said they seized computers, phones, seventeen hard drives, a 3D printer, and several 3D printed firearms and firearm parts, including handguns, a submachine gun and two assault rifles.
Steven Joseph Keir, 39, of Lloydminster was arrested and later charged in connection with both the child luring investigation and the weapons found in his home.
Weapons sentencing
Of twelve weapons related charges laid after the search, ten were withdrawn.
Keir was convicted of manufacturing a prohibited firearm and one count of possessing a prohibited firearm.
He was sentenced in January 2025 to a global sentence of 1,460 days, with credit for 261 days already spent in pretrial custody, leaving a balance of 1,199 days to serve.
Child luring and child pornography sentencing
On a separate file tied to the same investigation, Keir faced three charges: two counts of luring a child and one count of possession of child pornography.
He appeared in Alberta Court of Justice, where he was sentenced July 27 on two of the three charges.
Keir was found guilty of:
- Luring a child under the age of 16, between June 2022 and March 2024
- Possession of child pornography, between June 2022 and April 2024
He was found not guilty of a second luring charge covering a separate date range between June 2022 and January 2023.
Keir received a four year global sentence on the two counts. The sentence is consecutive to the weapons sentence, meaning it begins only once that sentence is complete.
Combined, the two sentences amount to eight years in custody.
A publication ban under the Criminal Code protects the identity of the victim in the case. BorderPulse is not publishing any details that could identify them.
RCMP comment from the original investigation
At the time of the 2024 arrest, then Cpl. Christopher Byford of the Lloydminster RCMP General Investigation Section spoke to the department’s approach to the case.
“The Lloydminster RCMP remains steadfast in our commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all members of our community,” said Byford.
“We will continue to implement proactive strategies, leverage technology, and collaborate with stakeholders to prevent and combat crime effectively,” he said.
Reporting crime in your neighbourhood
Anyone with information about criminal activity, including drug trafficking, is asked to contact Lloydminster RCMP at 780-808-8400.
To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, online at P3Tips.com, or through the P3 Tips app.
