Teen pleads guilty in X-rated cell phone photo case
The 15-year-old girl from Newark, Ohio, will not be allowed to use cell phones or the internet without adult supervision and will enter a juvenile program. If she completes it, her record will be cleared, the Newark Advocate reported.
The Licking Valley High School student was arrested in October after she sent nude photos of herself to other kids. The incident happened a month after the county prosecutor visited the school warning students against such behavior, known as “sexting.” The girl was originally charged with child pornography and would have had to register as a sex offender, but authorities later dropped those charges.
During her hearing on Thursday, the teen told a juvenile court judge that she wasn’t the only one at her school taking inappropriate photos. “I took pictures of myself and sent them to guys,” she said. “They sent me pictures back.”
Prosecutor Ken Oswalt told the judge that he wasn’t aware of the male photos, but would be investigating those allegations. He said he hoped the publicity over the girl’s arrest would deter others.
Police and school officals around the country say they are seeing more incidents of sexting. Teens may think it’s all in fun, but authorities say that the photos could easily fall into the wrong hands and could for example, be exploited by child molesters. “I wasn’t really thinking when I did it,” the Newark teen said in court. “I did not think they would get around to other people.”
