Girl, 14, arrested for posting nude MySpace pics

[rbhudelson]

This was shocking to me. Evidently, Law Enforcement has decided that "real" child predators are too hard to catch so now they have decided to go after kids sending stupid pictures and text messages to each other. I will be having a talk with my teenage boys to make sure they understand that if any of this is going on to end it now before they are arrested and charged with child pornography - and branded a sex offender for the rest of their lives.




TRENTON, N.J. - A 14-year-old New Jersey girl has been accused of child pornography after posting nearly 30 explicit nude pictures of herself on MySpace.com — charges that could force her to register as a sex offender if convicted.

The case comes as prosecutors nationwide pursue child pornography cases resulting from kids sending nude photos to one another over cell phones and e-mail. Legal experts, though, could not recall another case of a child porn charge resulting from a teen's posting to a social networking site.

MySpace would not comment on the New Jersey investigation, but the News Corp.-owned company has a team that reviews its network for inappropriate images. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children tipped off a state task force, which alerted the Passaic County Sheriff's Office.

The office investigated and discovered the Clifton resident had posted the "very explicit" photos of herself, sheriff's spokesman Bill Maer said Thursday.

"We consider this case a wake-up call to parents," Maer said. The girl posted the photos because "she wanted her boyfriend to see them," he said.

Investigators are looking at individuals who "knowingly" committed a crime, he said, declining to comment further because the case is still being investigated.

The teen, whose name has not been released because of her age, was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography and distribution of child pornography. She was released to her mother's custody.

If convicted of the distribution charge, she would be forced to register with the state as a sex offender under Megan's Law, said state Attorney General Anne Milgram. She also could face up to 17 years in jail, though such a stiff sentence is unlikely.

Some observers — including the New Jersey mother behind the creation of Megan's Law — are criticizing the trend of prosecuting teens who send racy text messages or post illicit photos of themselves.

Maureen Kanka — whose daughter, Megan, became the law's namesake after she was raped and killed at age 7 in 1994 by a twice-convicted sex offender — blasted authorities for charging the 14-year-old girl.

The teen needs help, not legal trouble, she said.

"This shouldn't fall under Megan's Law in any way, shape or form. She should have an intervention and counseling, because the only person she exploited was herself."

Called "sexting" when it's done by cell phone, teenagers' habit of sending sexually suggestive photos of themselves and others to one another is a nationwide problem that has confounded parents, school administrators and law enforcers.

Prosecutors in states including Pennsylvania, Connecticut, North Dakota, Ohio, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin have tried stop it by charging teens who send and receive the pictures.

In northeastern Pennsylvania, a prosecutor recently threatened to file child porn charges against three teenage girls who authorities say took racy cell-phone pictures that ended up on classmates' cell phones.

The MySpace case may be a first, though.

"I'm not sure I've seen a prosecution like this coming out of a social networking site," said Seth Kreimer, a constitutional law professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

Milgram, the attorney general, could not recall another such case in New Jersey. She cautioned parents to get on those sites and monitor what their kids are talking about and posting.

"Unfortunately, youth don't have the same judgment as adults," she said, "and often, adults don't have the same technical savvy as the youth."

[Magic Medicine]

Unbelievable??????

[LaughingCat]

So she could be branded a sex offender for posting nude photos of herself. Sounds similar to being charged with attempted murder for a failed suicide attempt.

Sweet jesus, when will the legal system's wastefulness stop?

[LaughingCat]

And Phragle, when you are done with the photos, don't post them.

[Dude! Sweet!]

I keep seeing this headline (as mentioned there's been several treatened prosecutions on this) and I'm convinced now more than ever that the whole F'ing world has gone completely insane.

I agree with Delson's post. This prosecution is akin to saying a woman wanted to be raped for dressing provocatively.

Think about all the stupid sh*t we did when we were kids that would keep us from voting and owning firearms if we'd done them now... I mean the kids should be smarter than this, but they're not.

And then, top that off with the relatively light sentences and high recidivism rate of REAL sex offenders...

It's a shame that people threw common sense and personal responsiblity in the toilet.

[clayinaustin]

Total insanity. Just another abuse of power by a zealous government agency. Instead of going after rapests, they target troubled 14-yo girls. :(

[Magic Medicine]

Total insanity. Just another abuse of power by a zealous government agency. Instead of going after rapests, they target troubled 14-yo girls. :(

Cause they can't solve the real crimes. Where i live its easier to get away with murder than a dui. I don't think they have solved a homicide case in 15 years???

[Sea-Dated]

Total insanity. Just another abuse of power by a zealous government agency. Instead of going after rapests, they target troubled 14-yo girls. :(

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

[Buoy]

Geez, this is ridiculous.
C'mon, how old were you before you saw a boobee??
So, it's OK for a 14yr old to get pregnant, and we'll put them on Gov't assistance to help care for the kid.
But, if they show someone there giblets in a picture they become a sex offender?
Seems kind of like a contradiction.
Actually doing the act and having a kid=Gov't money
Taking a picture=Gov't fine, and at least community service, if not incarceration or detention.

Why do you think the Polaroid camera was so popular?? It took chitty pictures at best. It was to take naked pictures.
Now with the digital... It's gotten quicker and easier, and much better quality.

Not that I think a 14yr old should be taking naked pics in the first place, but this sounds more like a parenting issue than a criminal issue.

[rainmn]

So she could be branded a sex offender for posting nude photos of herself. Sounds similar to being charged with attempted murder for a failed suicide attempt.


That was exactly what I said to my wife about this story earlier today.

[Perlmudder]

if the government saw the txt messages i send to friends... uhoh!

this is crazy though. blame the parents, not the child.

[Jammin']

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a78/thejuggster/Junk/pics.gif

[Playn]

total insanity. Just another abuse of power by a zealous government agency. Instead of going after rapests, they target troubled 14-yo girls. :(


x3

[Scarab KV]

As stupid as this is, I'd still be pi$$ed as hell if my daughter was do'n it:(

[BobOnThis]

Thats nutty..Could you imagine if this girl hit the wrong # and sent it to you! Damn..you would be in a whole bunch of trouble and have no idea what was going on. I just say this because I get this person who text me about twice a week and I have wrote back saying wrong # and even called and they don't answer. No pictures though..but with my luck I could just imagine!

[Scarab KV]

Thats nutty..Could you imagine if this girl hit the wrong # and sent it to you! Damn..you would be in a whole bunch of trouble and have no idea what was going on. I just say this because I get this person who text me about twice a week and I have wrote back saying wrong # and even called and they don't answer. No pictures though..but with my luck I could just imagine!

Oh $hit...never even thought of that. I receive 10-15 text and v-mail messages a week for the previous person who had my cell number. That could look really bad:(

[Chris]

I taught my kids this from very early on...

If you say it or write it, assume everyone will either hear it or see it. Rest assured I'll know about it.

My college-aged son was a high school freshman at the time- he was instant messaging a friend about thie Friday night plans. My wife had just left to take him to his pal's house, but he left the computer on. I hear it beeping and go into his room. His pal doesn't know my son is on the way- he's still messaging. Since my son isn't responding to his texts, he decides to write some pretty profane stuff. So I sit down and type- "Hey Randy. It's Jake's dad. His mom is on the way with him now- he'll be there in a few minutes."

Keep in mind, his father is one of my best friends.

30 seconds later my cellphone is ringing- it's my son. Randy had just called him in a major panic. He thought it was my son pulling a prank. When he found out it wasn't, he went into full-panic mode. Another couple minutes passed. The messenger beeps again.

"Mr. Sunkin? I'm really sorry. You're not going to tell my dad, are you?"

"Randy, I was 15 once, and really stupid too. But not as f.ucking stupid as you. I'm guessing you've learned your lesson, right?"

Now this is a kid I saw 3 times a week since he was two. It took 6 months before he came out of hiding. I don't think he ever got any smarter though.

[Scarab KV]

Hee hee...my daughter was never too bright when it came to leav'n IM's open. She really never did figure out how we knew so much.

[boostbros]

by going after all the prostatots sexting each other they are diluting the whole sex offender registry to a meaning less list ......how to shoot your foot!....provide hard core sex offenders a stead supply of underage kids i hope someone wakes up and realizes what their doing to underage kids

[Perlmudder]

that is why i have a lock on my laptop haha. after 20 minutes it locks it and you have to enter a pw to get back into windows.

[DollaBill]

i like when I get a msg that says "new picture msg":sifone: Especially in the middle of the night:03:

[45calibur]

.


absolutely absurd . our government is turning this country into a police state !

whats next ? arrest anyone under the age of 17 who masturbates , and charge them with statutory rape


.

[mosi]

.


absolutely absurd . our government is turning this country into a police state !

whats next ? arrest anyone under the age of 17 who masturbates , and charge them with statutory rape
.



RUT ROW.........I wonder how long before they come after me for abusing the elderly?

[45calibur]

RUT ROW.........I wonder how long before they come after me for abusing the elderly?


:):):rofl::rofl:



.

[Shah Mat]

Click on "launch" to watch the video.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29546030/

I agree with Chris, teens don't think (just like I didn't) about consequence of their actions and what effect it will have on them in the future.

I don't think I can agree at the end of the vid to hold the school accountable.


This is at Chancellor Middle, which is next to my daughter's school, Chancellor High.

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2009/032009/03082009/450183

[JJ Apache]

I'm all for small government, But this is for underage sex pix. Last time I checked it was illegal for Anybody to have child porn. Why shouldn't the offender be prosecuted? Reguardless of the age/ content of the offender.....Right is right, wrong is wrong. We know this at an early age. The girl is a sex offender! Masterbation isn't illegal unless your doing it outside ........ Dont confuse the issue. Why exactly does a kid need a phone w/ picture capability, anyway? Perhaps some parents Should be charged. Bad decisions are made by us all. We should be held accountable no matter the age.......

[rbhudelson]

I'm all for small government, But this is for underage sex pix. Last time I checked it was illegal for Anybody to have child porn. Why shouldn't the offender be prosecuted? Reguardless of the age/ content of the offender.....Right is right, wrong is wrong. We know this at an early age. The girl is a sex offender! Masterbation isn't illegal unless your doing it outside ........ Dont confuse the issue. Why exactly does a kid need a phone w/ picture capability, anyway? Perhaps some parents Should be charged. Bad decisions are made by us all. We should be held accountable no matter the age.......


wholly chit, I just lost 20 IQ points merely by reading your post.

[JJ Apache]

My point is the 14 year old should be held accountable for their actions.......


Parents should parent............



Masterbation isn't illegal.......:biggrinjester:




Serious subject..........

[rbhudelson]

My point is the 14 year old should be held accountable for their actions....... Parents should parent............
Masterbation isn't illegal.......:biggrinjester:
Serious subject..........

I agree with everything in your latest post.

The point is do you (really) believe that a 14yo girl, or boy, should be convicted of child pornography and thereby (forever) labeled, and registered, as a sex offender for sending a naked picture of them self to another 14yo boy or girl?

and yes it is extremely serious.

[JJ Apache]

Good question........this is what loop holes are for. Extenuating circumstances, and first time offenders. New laws for new technology..I agree with. Personal Responsibility.

[fund razor]

wholly chit, I just lost 20 IQ points merely by reading your post.

Whoah. That's like 20%, right? :leaving:

[rbhudelson]

I'm all for small government, But this is for underage sex pix. Last time I checked it was illegal for Anybody to have child porn. Why shouldn't the offender be prosecuted? Reguardless of the age/ content of the offender.....Right is right, wrong is wrong. We know this at an early age. The girl is a sex offender! Masterbation isn't illegal unless your doing it outside ........ Dont confuse the issue. Why exactly does a kid need a phone w/ picture capability, anyway? Perhaps some parents Should be charged. Bad decisions are made by us all. We should be held accountable no matter the age.......

wholly chit, I just lost 20 IQ points merely by reading your post.


Whoah. That's like 20%, right? :leaving:

Really Fund? Really? Maybe so, but even someone with my (limited) IQ could see that the post was, at face value, profoundly stupid.

[fund razor]

Really Fund? Really? Maybe so, but even someone with my (limited) IQ could see that the post was, at face value, profoundly stupid.

Well... a couple percentage points either way makes the difference. :D
I was given ya 100. That's tripple digits! Nah... it was just a zing. Not a glove slap. I was just messing with you. Happy belated Birthday man.

Yes. I would say that it was difficult to follow. But I am used to it.:blush5:

[fund razor]

One day we will talk about homonyms. ;) :D

[rbhudelson]

Well... a couple percentage points either way makes the difference. :D
I was given ya 100. That's tripple digits! Nah... it was just a zing. Not a glove slap. I was just messing with you. Happy belated Birthday man.

Yes. I would say that it was difficult to follow. But I am used to it.:blush5:

the deal is when you only have 105; those 5 mean something - at least to me they do. :biggrinjester:

[JJ Apache]

Really Fund? Really? Maybe so, but even someone with my (limited) IQ could see that the post was, at face value, profoundly stupid.

With all due respect sir, my thoughts were...... disorganized. "Profoundly Stupid" does Not apply. However, I respect your right to your opinion.






I have defended my statement. Thats all she wrote.................:biggrinjester:

[fund razor]

Thread killer alert. :)

So anyway.... I am not so sure that a 14 year old who does this particular brand of dumb should be branded a predator. Can they just be branded a "dumbass" until such time that they stop doing stupid stuff?
But... I am kind of surprised that we haven't seen this kind of cell phone camera bad acts sooner. Yay for us. :)

[Ms PatriYacht]

I kind of agree with JJ, what does a kid need a picture cell phone for, to easy to get in trouble with, boys as a prank could take a picture of another boy at the urinal or in the the locker room, and then pass it around as a joke. There have been cases of kids committing suicide over things posted about or of them on the internet. Looking the other way cause they are kids is not always right either. IMHO kids have to much stuff and to little supervision and I am not sure it is always good for them.

[Ms PatriYacht]

Really Fund? Really? Maybe so, but even someone with my (limited) IQ could see that the post was, at face value, profoundly stupid.

:( And I can see your post at face value is PROFOUNDLY RUDE :smash:
her post wasn't stupid just a different style of writing then you may use, I had no trouble understanding it and I may be outspoken, but I'm not stupid

[LaughingCat]

Whatever happened to the days where your kid gets in trouble, the police bring them home and you whip the mud out of them. Why do the sexually-deprived politicians need to get involved?

[LaughingCat]

RUT ROW.........I wonder how long before they come after me for abusing the elderly?


(Using best Larry the Cable Guy impersonation)
Now that's fuuunny, right there.

[Chris]

I have a 20-year-old son that wouldn't deliberately hurt a fly. But he's a kid. They had some big spring break prank planned for the girls across the hall in their dorm. The girls went away and my son planned to be back early. They have a shared bathroom with my son's friends. The girls they were pranking are not terribly fond of my son and his roommate. They planned to re-arrange their furniture then stuff the entire room full to the ceiling with crumpled up newspapers.

As I told him, this sounds like an innocent prank. But in the process, you're committing the crimes of breaking and entering and vandalism. These girls don't like you already and if they had a bad time on spring break, they may just want to take it out on you. Do you really want to endure criminal prosecution AND expulsion from your university just to get a giggle?

Kids do dumb things. Even kids with exceptional charachter and intelligence. A 14-year-old distributing nude pictures of herself probably needs the intervention of the criminal justice system. They're obviously not getting much parenting. A criminal conviction is probably better than where she's headed right now. and while I don't know the particular laws of that state, I would imagine that as a first-offense juvenile the record could be expunged.

[mosi]

Personally I thought Parenting was fun....
.
.
.
.....Mosi's Parenting 101...
.
.....NEVER be the kid's friend......that's why God created kids their age.

..... ALWAYS react to bad actions of the kids... just a little crazier than the kids thought you would react

..... Never ask what the other Parents think....follow your gut.

..... and finally.....
.
.
.
......:26:

[Perlmudder]

I don't see how you can "ban" camera phones with kids. If someone really wants to take a picture of themselves, they will use a digital camera, a laptop web cam, etc. If you are going to attempt to ban just the camera phone, you are missing the point of the issue I think.

[JJ Apache]

I don't see how you can "ban" camera phones with kids. If someone really wants to take a picture of themselves, they will use a digital camera, a laptop web cam, etc. If you are going to attempt to ban just the camera phone, you are missing the point of the issue I think.

You can't ban them. You have to be a Parent Declining their (your child) request......
When I tell my daughter no, it means NO, its not open for debate!!!!!!
And every attemp after that.............. earns a disapline.:)

[Perlmudder]

You can't ban them. You have to be a Parent Declining their (your child) request......
When I tell my daughter no, it means NO, its not open for debate!!!!!!
And every attemp after that.............. earns a disapline.:)

I agree with that, perhaps we should be looking to the parents to instill proper morals and values in their child. It's no surprise that a 14 year old girl did something stupid, hell, I'm 21 and I still do stupid things every day.

On a side note, you ever think about doing something, determine it is a bad idea, and then do it anyways? I bought frozen orange juice concentrate to make up some morning mixed drinks the other day. Well I couldn't get it out of the can, so I decided that I would cut it out of the can. I determined it was a bad idea, then went ahead and did it anyway. The knife slipped, I cut my finger nail in half, and then told myself I was a moron.

[rbhudelson]

I kind of agree with JJ, what does a kid need a picture cell phone for, to easy to get in trouble with, boys as a prank could take a picture of another boy at the urinal or in the the locker room, and then pass it around as a joke. There have been cases of kids committing suicide over things posted about or of them on the internet. Looking the other way cause they are kids is not always right either. IMHO kids have to much stuff and to little supervision and I am not sure it is always good for them.

no one is suggesting that anyone should look the other way. what most of us are saying is that if a 14yo does something stupid like that - its not worth them being convicted as a sex offender. I 100% support what we do to sex offenders; once convicted, you can never leave it behind. You have to register, with a public database, every time you move. Everyone around you knows you are a sex offender - but they don't know what you did. The more the government convicts 14yo's of a sex offense - for sending nude pics of themselves - the more it waters down the hell on earth we put "real" offenders through.

It has nothing to do with camera phones, parenting, good kids, bad kids. I'm 48 years old. When I was in the 8th grade my across the street neighbor girl took a naked "polaroid" of herself and left it in my locker. Point is, this is not a new phenomenon. Technology has just made it easy to do and distribute - plus role models like Paris and Brittany have made it the "cool" thing to do....

[masher44]

When I was in the 8th grade my across the street neighbor girl took a naked "polaroid" of himself and left it in my locker. I still have it today.


:dupe:

[rbhudelson]

:( And I can see your post at face value is PROFOUNDLY RUDE :smash:
her post wasn't stupid just a different style of writing then you may use, I had no trouble understanding it and I may be outspoken, but I'm not stupid

I would agree whole heartedly that my response to her was profoundly rude. It was worse than that. I meant it to be that way.

[rbhudelson]

The latest - Vermont moves to the middle ground.

MONTPELIER, Vt. - Parents, school districts and law enforcement have been grappling with what to do with teenagers who take sexually explicit photos of themselves with their cell phone cameras and send them to friends.

Vermont legislators are moving to get rid of one option: child pornography counts that result in lifetime listings on the state's Internet sex offender registry.

Legislation passed by the Vermont Senate and pending in the House would remove the most serious legal consequences for teenagers who engage in "sexting." The bill would carve out an exemption from prosecution for child pornography for 13- to 18-year-olds on either the sending or receiving end of sexting messages, so long as the sender voluntarily transmits an image of himself or herself.

The bill, however, would not legalize the conduct. Legislators believe prosecutors could still use laws against lewd and lascivious conduct and against disseminating indecent materials to a minor.

State legislatures, including Vermont's, have been cracking down on sexual predators in recent years, but lawmakers here say they don't want increasingly tough penalties applied to those caught up in what many regard as a youthful fad.

"We felt that it's poor behavior and it's not something we want to give our OK to," said Sen. Richard Sears, D-Bennington and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "But at the same time, do we want a kid in jail? Do we want them tagged as a sex offender for the rest of their lives? And the answer is no."

Sexting appears to be widespread among teens. A December survey of 1,400 young people for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy found that one-fifth of girls had sent nude or seminude pictures of themselves electronically and that a third of boys had received such pictures, said Marisa Nightingale, senior adviser with the group.

Prosecutors around the country have tried various approaches against teenagers who used cell phones, e-mail or social networking Web sites to transmit naughty pictures of themselves.

Last month, a 14-year-old New Jersey girl was arrested for posting nude pictures of herself on MySpace. She was charged with child pornography and distribution of child pornography for allegedly posting nearly 30 explicit pictures on the site. But it's likely she'll avoid jail because she's a juvenile, according to a prosecutor handling the case.

In Pennsylvania, 17 students involved in distributing photos of nude or scantily clad female classmates accepted a county prosecutor's offer that their cases would be resolved if they participated in a five-week after-school program on sexual harassment and similar topics. Three balked and sued in federal court to stop prosecutors from filing charges.


"I don't think it serves any public interest to paint those kids ... as sex offenders," said Donovan, chief prosecutor in Vermont's most populous county.

Donovan, Allen and others agreed that the real solution is educating teens about the risks of sexting.

Allen said his group's "Think Before You Post" campaign was aimed at getting children to think about the practical consequences of sending materials that can be reproduced and end up living on the Internet forever.

Forty percent of kids who had sent sexting messages said they had done so as a joke, Nightingale said her group's survey showed. "But you're basically relinquishing control of how people see you in this very sensitive area, which is your sexuality," she said.

[Sydwayz]

...A December survey of 1,400 young people for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy found that one-fifth of girls had sent nude or seminude pictures of themselves electronically and that a third of boys had received such pictures...

Just goes to prove that two-timing women starts from a very early age.