Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
GREENSBURG, Pa. -- Three teenage girls who allegedly sent nude or semi-nude cell phone pictures of themselves, and three male classmates in a Greensburg Salem High School who received them, are charged with child pornography.
The government at work - and of course it's all to protect the children whose lives they are trying to permanently destroy.
"It's very dangerous," said Seranko. "Once it's on a cell phone, that cell phone can be put on the Internet where everyone in the world can get access to that juvenile picture. You don't realize what you are doing until it's already done."
Somewhat like shooting people in the kneecaps for not wearing a seatbelt.
Oh, and they found the photos by searching a kids phone after they took it from him during school - 4th amendment be damned!
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
GREENSBURG, Pa. -- Three teenage girls who allegedly sent nude or semi-nude cell phone pictures of themselves, and three male classmates in a Greensburg Salem High School who received them, are charged with child pornography.
Police said the girls are 14 or 15, and the boys charged with receiving the photos are 16 or 17. None are being identified because most criminal cases in Pennsylvania juvenile courts are not public.
"It was a self portrait taken of a juvenile female taking pictures of her body, nude," said Capt. George Seranko of the Greensburg Police Department.
Police said school officials learned of the photos in October. That's when a student was seen using a cell phone during school hours, which violates school rules. The phone was seized, and the photos were found on it, police said. When police investigated, other phones with more pictures were seized.
"Taking nude pictures of yourself, nothing good can come out of it," said Seranko.
The Greensburg Salem School District issued a statement on Tuesday saying there was “no evidence of inappropriate activity on school grounds or during the school day other than the violation of the (school's) electronic devices policy.”
The school district said it only became aware of the arrest of the students on Monday and will continue to work cooperatively with police, as well as continue to enforce its electronic devices policy and educate students on the dangers of inappropriate use of electronic devices.
Police said the girls are being charged with manufacturing, disseminating or possessing child pornography while the boys face charges of possession.
"It's very dangerous," said Seranko. "Once it's on a cell phone, that cell phone can be put on the Internet where everyone in the world can get access to that juvenile picture. You don't realize what you are doing until it's already done."
So the state is telling them its better to have sex instead of *gasp!* sending each other nude photos, because the penalties for sex are much less severe.
CR
01-14-2009, 18:04
HoreTore
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
Omfg.
This would be hilarious if not for the tyrannical government thingy. I'm lost for words.
EDIT: This reminds me of another case: a norwegian 23-year old with a 17-year old girlfriend(age of consent in Norway is 16) goes on a vacation to Canada. His laptop is searched in customs, toll officials find one naughty pic of his gf on it, guy gets a 90 days prison sentence.... Nice.
01-14-2009, 18:33
Meneldil
Re : Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
Holy crap that's awesome in every single aspect. People being blamed for sending each other pictures of themselves naked.
01-14-2009, 18:39
TinCow
Re: Re : Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
After seeing this news report yesterday, I actually looked up the relevant PA Criminal Code statute. The way its written, someone under 18 could actually be charged with creating and possessing child pornography if they took a picture of themselves and never showed it to anyone. Sometimes the letter of the law is not in the spirit of the law.
01-14-2009, 20:32
rasoforos
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
Sometimes I think that laws are written by robots for robots...
...lets see how much taxpayers' money will be wasted this time.
01-14-2009, 21:01
Olaf The Great
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
Quote:
Originally Posted by rasoforos
Sometimes I think that laws are written by robots for robots...
...lets see how much taxpayers' money will be wasted this time.
Anyone have the article of the Teenage girl that was charged with raping herself through masturbation?
01-14-2009, 21:18
Sarmatian
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
Quote:
Originally Posted by Olaf The Great
Anyone have the article of the Teenage girl that was charged with raping herself through masturbation?
Please, tell me that's a joke.
01-14-2009, 21:23
Vladimir
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sarmatian
Please, tell me that's a joke.
Self-rape. I love it! :2thumbsup:
01-14-2009, 22:37
Tribesman
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
Quote:
Oh, and they found the photos by searching a kids phone after they took it from him during school - 4th amendment be damned!
:laugh4::laugh4::laugh4::laugh4:
The 4th amendment doesn't apply by any stretch of the imagination .
That would require the initial action being taken against the reasonable expectation of privacy , since the clear policy was mobile phones would be siezed on premesis then the unreasonable search and seizure line is pissing in the wind . The next phase of the process where the police became involved is plain and simple too , the school is legally obliged to inform of illegal activity and since naked pictures of underage girls fits the definition child pornography and child pornography is a crime then tough luck .
Quote:
So the state is telling them its better to have sex instead
Yes Rabbit the State told them to have sex:dizzy2:
01-14-2009, 23:14
Watchman
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
For Great Justice too, no doubt.
01-14-2009, 23:17
Goofball
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
Good Lord. This is sublime in its ridiculousness...
01-14-2009, 23:34
Seamus Fermanagh
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
I would question the need to prosecute in this instance. Doesn't seem like a good use of taxpayer dollars. At best we have minors engaging in inappropriate behaviors with females under the age of consent; no real pedo component here. Surely they have other more significant issues to pursue...
However....CR:
4th ammendment may not apply. Under 18s have few legal rights and, in the strictest sense, cannot own property in their own names. Therefore, if they used a cell phone on school property during school hours and it was a known school policy (signed off on by parents) that any such phones would be confiscated, then the school was operating appropriately. Same can be said for searching the phone if there were prior notice that all confiscated phones would be searched. Absent express or implied consent or a duly signed warrant, however, I do not think the cell phone material should be admissable.
HT:
The chap who visited Canada had it coming. Tourists and visitors are ALWAYS responsible for complying with local laws. The rule is, if in doubt, don't. Assuming that you will receive the same rights overseas as you would in your own country is a foolish assumption.
01-14-2009, 23:48
Goofball
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
Quote:
Originally Posted by HoreTore
Omfg.
This would be hilarious if not for the tyrannical government thingy. I'm lost for words.
EDIT: This reminds me of another case: a norwegian 23-year old with a 17-year old girlfriend(age of consent in Norway is 16) goes on a vacation to Canada. His laptop is searched in customs, toll officials find one naughty pic of his gf on it, guy gets a 90 days prison sentence.... Nice.
Hmmm. I'd have to see that article. Not that I'm proud of this, but the age of consent in Canada was 14 until 2008, when it was raised to 16. Something doesn't ring true. Perhaps he was dating her when she was only 13 and he was 19, and the pictures were from when she actually was underage? In that case, he is in fact disgusting and probably deserves more than 90 days in the slammer.
01-15-2009, 00:01
Tribesman
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
Quote:
I would question the need to prosecute in this instance.
ah but what about zero tolerance for crimes and the voice of the moral majority who want to protect young Americans from a glimpse of a nipple ?
Actually I reckon the law should come down harder , if one of the individuals had three photos on his phone he should be charged and convicted on three different occasions then give him the old 3 strikes and life without parole stuff :2thumbsup:
01-15-2009, 00:12
CountArach
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
I've been following this on Faux News for a while and it is hilarious seeing O'Reilly claiming that the government acted correctly.
01-15-2009, 00:21
woad&fangs
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tribesman
:laugh4::laugh4::laugh4::laugh4:
The 4th amendment doesn't apply by any stretch of the imagination .
That would require the initial action being taken against the reasonable expectation of privacy , since the clear policy was mobile phones would be siezed on premesis then the unreasonable search and seizure line is pissing in the wind . The next phase of the process where the police became involved is plain and simple too , the school is legally obliged to inform of illegal activity and since naked pictures of underage girls fits the definition child pornography and child pornography is a crime then tough luck .
Yes Rabbit the State told them to have sex:dizzy2:
The seizure was legal but the search was not. It could only be searched if there was reasonable suspicion of illegal activity on the phone. While it didn't say in the article, I'm guessing that there wasn't reasonable suspicion.
We covered a case like this in my American law class last year. Well, except what was found was a list of clients for a girls drug business in that case.
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
Thats easy Woad .
Leaving aside the obvious that the picture which the pupil must have liked may have been a screensaver and as such was in plain view , there is in all likelyhood that the phone (as most are now) was also a camera , since the ban on electronic devices would extend to unsanctioned use of cameras on premesis .
So there was a reasonable cause to examine if the cameraphone had been used in school .
Run that past your lecturer in law if you doubt that such a search can be defined as reasonable in scope or if the reasonable expectation of privacy had been violated.:2thumbsup:
01-15-2009, 01:20
Lord Winter
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
That case doesn't really apply, they were in trouble for smoking and the princeple searched the phone for evidence relating to the said smoking. In the process he found all the pot stuff. There's pretty obvious reasonable cause in that search.
Here it sounds like someone was texting, there phone was taken away, and then some teacher went through it for no appearent reason. Now the extent that a teacher conducted a formal search is a different point, for example if they were to hear people talking in a bathroom then discover smokers, that's not a violation. Were if they were to go through every locker it would be. I don't really see a big 4th addmendent issue here. It's more a matter of if a teacher looking through a confiscated phone is ethical. Personally I would say that its wrong, but that doesn't disquallify its abillity to be used in court. (Unless if it was confiscated to be searched then theres another layer. All it is really is a set of fine lines.)
I think the focus would be better deserved on the hyberbole of the charges.
01-15-2009, 02:16
Crazed Rabbit
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
Quote:
Originally Posted by Seamus Fermanagh
However....CR:
4th ammendment may not apply.
Yes, likely that is the case. However, it should apply. I find it abhorrent the government can compel you to do something and take your rights as you do what they say - in this example, the government compels kids to go to school and parents to get their kids to school, but suspends some of their rights.
Quote:
I've been following this on Faux News for a while and it is hilarious seeing O'Reilly claiming that the government acted correctly.
Sheesh, what a tool. And must you call it 'faux news'? I don't go around saying 'communist news network' all day.
Quote:
Yes Rabbit the State told them to have sex
I didn't say that. The incentives created by the government make the punishment for having sex less severe than seeing a photo of the same person naked. In short, the state is saying having sex is better than - or not as bad as - seeing a nude photo.
CR
01-15-2009, 03:02
Tribesman
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
Quote:
Yes, likely that is the case. However, it should apply.
Hey if you don't like the constitution write a new one .:idea2:
Hold on, you like the constitution when judges say it means what you want it to mean but you don't like it when judges say it means what you don't want it to mean
:laugh4::laugh4::laugh4::laugh4:
Quote:
the government compels kids to go to school and parents to get their kids to school,
Stand up against your tyrannical government .
Exercise your rights , give your kids some home skoolin:laugh4::laugh4::laugh4:
01-15-2009, 03:07
Crazed Rabbit
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tribesman
Hold on, you like the constitution when judges say it means what you want it to mean but you don't like it when judges say it means what you don't want it to mean
I always love the Constitution - just not always the judges.
CR
01-15-2009, 06:03
lars573
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
Quote:
Originally Posted by Goofball
Hmmm. I'd have to see that article. Not that I'm proud of this, but the age of consent in Canada was 14 until 2008, when it was raised to 16. Something doesn't ring true. Perhaps he was dating her when she was only 13 and he was 19, and the pictures were from when she actually was underage? In that case, he is in fact disgusting and probably deserves more than 90 days in the slammer.
I'm be shocked if the rules for a role in the hay and digital boobies weren't different.
01-15-2009, 06:35
Lord Winter
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
Quote:
Originally Posted by Crazed Rabbit
I always love the Constitution - just not always the judges.
CR
It wouldn't hurt to rewrite it, I'm just afraid of what it would look like after.
01-15-2009, 06:43
Strike For The South
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
I agree with Tribesman. The problem here is not that these minors constitutional rights were violated. It's that the administration and police dept. are blisteringly stupid.
01-15-2009, 09:29
HoreTore
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
Quote:
Originally Posted by Seamus Fermanagh
The chap who visited Canada had it coming. Tourists and visitors are ALWAYS responsible for complying with local laws. The rule is, if in doubt, don't. Assuming that you will receive the same rights overseas as you would in your own country is a foolish assumption.
Who thinks about stuff like this? Seriously? I have 120 gigs on my laptop. I have no clue what half of it is. I'm not sure, but I think I have some pictures of my ex there somwhere. She is 6 months younger than me, and 17 at the time... Better not take the laptop on a trip, eh?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Goofball
Hmmm. I'd have to see that article. Not that I'm proud of this, but the age of consent in Canada was 14 until 2008, when it was raised to 16. Something doesn't ring true. Perhaps he was dating her when she was only 13 and he was 19, and the pictures were from when she actually was underage? In that case, he is in fact disgusting and probably deserves more than 90 days in the slammer.
No, he was 23 and she was 17 when the pictures were taken.
Norwegian link, can't find an english one(nobody really cares about us...):
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
Idiocy, I mentioned not long ago something similar happened to a friend of a friend, hes now on the sexual offenders register (for a while ? or forever ?)
The law should use some common sense when it comes to such matters rather than label children the same way they would label a dirty old man getting pictures of children...
01-15-2009, 10:36
Adrian II
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
Quote:
"Taking nude pictures of yourself, nothing good can come out of it," said Seranko.
This moron merely reflects a wide-spread 'sensitivity' to, well, to 'issues'. These days anything involving sexuality and minors is defined as an 'issue', underpinned by Christian and feminist notions of infantile innocence and sexuality. Don't change your Constitution if you object to this; change your culture.
01-15-2009, 14:38
Husar
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
I'd rather say they should be set free because of infantile innocence.
They should not protect the children from taking and sending around their own pictures to their own friends, they should protect them from getting jailed for years and being molested several times in jail...
01-15-2009, 15:12
Sigurd
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
Quote:
Originally Posted by HoreTore
No, he was 23 and she was 17 when the pictures were taken.
The law treats these things differently.
Canadian law says nude pictures of girls under 18 are child pornography. No good to argue that you didn't know. Law of the land rules so to say.
Our law (Norway) however, apparently sees this differently. Even though the age of consent is 16, pictures of nude girls have no age limit. The pictures are evaluated ad hoc. The base decision of whether the pictures falls under child pornography is the physical maturity of the girl. If she looks 18 or older, its fine. Alas, pictures of a 26 year old that looks like a 15 year old would be treated as child pornography.
I would welcome a law of 18 on all accounts. This is when we define they are adults. (21 for my girls).
01-15-2009, 17:01
Caius
Re: Teens send each other naked pictures, get charged with child pornography
Quote:
she looks 18 or older, its fine
If she looks like 18 but has 17 or 16, its fine also?