TMCnet News
Teens could be charged in 'sexting' case [The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.](Eagle-Tribune (North Andover, MA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 21--METHUEN -- Police are investigating a report that several Methuen High students sent "inappropriate images" of themselves to other students on Friday using the smartphone app Snapchat. Police Chief Joseph Solomon said criminal charges could be brought against the students who sent the images, though the nature of the charges would be up to the district attorney's office. All the students involved are juveniles, he said. Investigators believe the incident took place outside of school, Solomon said. "There was a report on Friday that some students had shared inappropriate images of themselves with others," he said. "We involved the school resource officers and detectives." He added, "We should be clear, these were individuals taking pictures of themselves. Taking pictures of others would open up a different case of dissemination." Police continue to investigating the incident. Solomon said he did not want to specify how many students were involved or the gender of those sending or those receiving the images at this point in the investigation. A high school official learned of the images and reported it to the high school resource officer, James Mellor, Solomon said. Snapchat is an app for smartphones and tablet computers that works like a text message service, but the messages primarily are images or videos that vanish from the receiving phone after a few seconds. People receiving images via Snapchat can save the images. Solomon said some people did save the images they received and showed them to police. "Parents need to have conversations with their children," Solomon said. "Snapchat doesn't mean your images go away. There are third-party apps, people can screen capture the images. Parents should have a conversation with children on what's appropriate to disseminate." Schools Superintendent Judith Scannell did not respond to a request for comment Monday. Sending sexual images of oneself by phone could run afoul of a state law prohibiting dissemination of obscene material. A first offense of violating that law carries a sentence of up to five years in state prison or 2-1/2 years in jail and a fine of between $1,000 and $10,000, according to state law. Follow Douglas Moser on Twitter @EagleEyeMoser. To comment on stories and see what others are saying, log on to eagletribune.com. ___ (c)2014 The Eagle-Tribune (North Andover, Mass.) Visit The Eagle-Tribune (North Andover, Mass.) at www.eagletribune.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |