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."
http://www.wpxi.com/news/18469160/detail.html
Here we have a group of kids ranging in age from 14-17 facing child pornography charges for sending naked pictures of themselves and others for receiving the images.
Although their behavior may have been unacceptable and immature, I don't think it rises to the level of child pornography since no mention is made of any sort of sexual activity occurring in any of the pictures.
Does a simple naked picture of a child constitute child pornography? My opinion is no. I think the authorities are just looking to make an example of these kids.
What say you?
if that is the worst thing that a 14 year old was accused of doing...then I would be tickled to death...I agree with you locutus..that is completly harmless...that should be the parents problem to deal with.
Wow.. I'd say they're goin' overboard by bringing charges like that. Whatever happened to detentions, and suspensions? Man, they're goin' straight for the jugular. :spooked: Granted... it wasn't appropriate but.... these are just kids goofin' off, and they made a mistake. Yeah.... let's send them to prison, or ruin their chances at a good college, or decent job for their entire life. :rolleyes:
On a side note..... that naked picture sending on phones is nothing new. People I work with do that stupid crap. :rolleyes:
Quote from: Dexter Morgan on January 13, 2009, 05:45:31 PM
On a side note..... that naked picture sending on phones is nothing new. People I work with do that stupid crap. :rolleyes:
Hopefully they're good looking people. :icon_twisted: :biggrin:
When did it become aceptable for a girl to be a slut? The sexual revolution is changing society, producing generations of bastards who make bad citizens. People are a country's defining resource. We are going downhill.
I agree these kids were just horsing around; stupid things kids do. Justice would let them slip the hook. When I was a teenager I could have use one of these girls, about twice a day. Now, not so much.
I just wonder what gives the school the right to review what was on their cell phones? Is there no expectation of privacy? Shouldn't they have had to contact the parents and obtain their permission to do that?
To me, the school's action border on gestapo like and they should be held accountable for such. Not that I would endorse pubescent children sending naked pictures of themselves to each other, but come on; there are a LOT worse things they could have been doing too. At least they weren't humping like two dogs in heat. (Like I was caught doing several times whilst within their age bracket.) :spooked: :biggrin:
School officials gone wild! :rolleyes:
Quote from: Monroe on January 13, 2009, 07:10:02 PM
When did it become aceptable for a girl to be a slut? The sexual revolution is changing society, producing generations of bastards who make bad citizens. People are a country's defining resource. We are going downhill.
I agree these kids were just horsing around; stupid things kids do. Justice would let them slip the hook. When I was a teenager I could have use one of these girls, about twice a day. Now, not so much.
We are falling into sin!! Wheeeeeeeeeee!!!!
Go back and read what Socrates said about the youth in his day. Same old, same old.
Years from now, the incident will only be a smile-producing memory at their high school reunions.
Except for the self-serving religion moralists who will stll be saying we are going downhill.
Quote from: Locutus on January 13, 2009, 06:08:09 PM
Hopefully they're good looking people. :icon_twisted: :biggrin:
:no: :lipsrsealed2: :sneaky:
Quote from: Palehorse on January 13, 2009, 08:33:39 PM
I just wonder what gives the school the right to review what was on their cell phones? Is there no expectation of privacy? Shouldn't they have had to contact the parents and obtain their permission to do that?
To me, the school's action border on gestapo like and they should be held accountable for such. Not that I would endorse pubescent children sending naked pictures of themselves to each other, but come on; there are a LOT worse things they could have been doing too. At least they weren't humping like two dogs in heat. (Like I was caught doing several times whilst within their age bracket.) :spooked: :biggrin:
School officials gone wild! :rolleyes:
I agree.... the school officials shouldn't have accessed those students phones. I guess kids don't have any rights to privacy. I went to school with a guy that had parents that were completely insane. Everytime he and his siblings came home from somewhere, their parents would smell their breath and hair, and ask them if they had been drinking, or smoking pot!!!! They even randomly drug tested them. They were crazy people. The father was completely paranoid. He'd sleep in a tree in their backyard with a gun. The guy that I referred to earlier ended up being pscyzephrenic, and tried to kill himself numerous times. Those kids had no privacy whatsoever. :no:
Quote from: followsthewolf on January 13, 2009, 09:26:16 PM
We are falling into sin!! Wheeeeeeeeeee!!!!
Go back and read what Socrates said about the youth in his day. Same old, same old.
Years from now, the incident will only be a smile-producing memory at their high school reunions.
Except for the self-serving religion moralists who will stll be saying we are going downhill.
Umm...he said nothing about religion or morality, ftw.
I would consider increases in STD infections, the drain of unwed mothers on our welfare system, and the depressing outcomes for many children of single-parent homes to be plenty of evidence that the sexual revolution has had a negative effect on our society.
You may not agree, but I wouldn't call you a self-serving Satanic pedophile for doing so.
I'm surprised that more of you aren't concerned over the fact that (IMHO) the rights of these children (and by proxy their parents) were trampled upon by these school officials when they took it upon themselves to review the content of the personal cell phones of these children.
Violation of a school policy surrounding cell phone use does not provide license to invade the privacy of a student! Thus, if not for their trampling of these rights this incident would then be (rightfully) left to the parents to take care of.
This whole thing should to tossed out of court IMO. . .
Quote from: followsthewolf on January 13, 2009, 09:26:16 PM
. . .
Years from now, the incident will only be a smile-producing memory at their high school reunions.
. . .
Except for the fact that if these gestapo like school officials get their way, these "children" may very well be required to register as sex-offenders!
I agree with you PH..............If it was my child, after I disiplined her for being stupid, I would probably be in contact with my lawyer.....it DOES seem like the school is stepping outside of it's responsibilities, especially when no one's safety is at stake.
Where is our, "THIS THREAD IS WORTHLESS WITHOUT PICTURES" smiley? It sure would be handy about now.
Quote from: Mr442 on January 14, 2009, 01:09:04 PM
Where is our, "THIS THREAD IS WORTHLESS WITHOUT PICTURES" smiley? It sure would be handy about now.
Wouldn't it be child pornography if the pictures were posted? I think all the individuals were probably under age? :confused:
Quote from: Ghost of Jaco on January 14, 2009, 11:05:02 AM
Umm...he said nothing about religion or morality, ftw.
I would consider increases in STD infections, the drain of unwed mothers on our welfare system, and the depressing outcomes for many children of single-parent homes to be plenty of evidence that the sexual revolution has had a negative effect on our society.
You may not agree, but I wouldn't call you a self-serving Satanic pedophile for doing so.
I think you're alone.
Quote from: Dexter Morgan on January 14, 2009, 04:18:08 PM
Wouldn't it be child pornography if the pictures were posted? I think all the individuals were probably under age? :confused:
I think he was joking. :wink:
Quote from: Dexter Morgan on January 14, 2009, 04:18:08 PM
Wouldn't it be child pornography if the pictures were posted? I think all the individuals were probably under age? :confused:
Oh details, details, details. :rolleyes:
And yes, I was making a joke. :biggrin:
Quote from: Palehorse on January 14, 2009, 11:11:39 AM
Violation of a school policy surrounding cell phone use does not provide license to invade the privacy of a student!
Wrong! The cell phone is seized contraband; they can do whatever they want with it.
Quote from: Exterminator on January 15, 2009, 11:09:34 AM
Wrong! The cell phone is seized contraband; they can do whatever they want with it.
I strongly disagree. As an electronic means of storing personal information it should fall within the same protection classification as a laptop, flash drive etc. Law enforcement officials would have to obtain a search warrant to view the contents, so why should school officials be exempt from such requirements, and on what grounds? Clearly the actions of the school officials were an intrusion upon the privacy of the individual minor(s) and by proxy the legal guardian(s)/parent(s) of same.
As contraband per published/posted policy, I would agree with seizure, however due to the value of the items I also would strongly disagree that they can "do whatever they want with it". Since the items in question here are legally the property of the parent / legal guardian of the minor(s) then the school has an implied legal responsibility to secure the item and return it to the owner(s) intact. They have no legal right to review it's content sans the endorsement of a recognized court providing same, or minus a signed agreement providing them this right from the legal owner(s) of the device.
While one could potentially argue "plain view" jurisdiction, typically navigation through the program is required to retrieve the contents of these electronic devices; thus rendering "plain view" not applicable in such a case.
Is what they (the minors) did wrong? Sure it is. It is also against the law as well. However, had the school officials complied with the laws/rights surrounding illegal search and seizure, not to mention privacy, they would not have been knowledgable of any violation of the law; thus rendering the photographs and the sending of same as fruit from the forbidden tree and inadmissible within a court of law.
Our schools are not jail houses, despite what our children may think of them. They are institutions of learning to which we send our children and from which we require some measure of protection from harm for the period of time they are there. It is not an implied permission to trample their rights. Violation of policy of said school should include ascribed punishment, however I still believe that said violation does not provide blanket immunity from the rights inferred upon us by the Constitution, and unless said violation results in immediate and obvious danger to the public safety and well being of those in attendance, they had/have no legal right to review the information stored within the devices. (None of which applies in this instance from what I know).
The school should have just taken away the cell phone(s) and requested that the parents/legal guardians pick them up. Now, had the owners done so and discovered the pictures, it would have been well within their legal capacity/right to incorporate legal action if they felt it was necessary or required.
Once the legal case being brought against these children is thrown out of court, the parent(s) / legal guardian(s) of these children now have a viable civil case to pursue against the school official(s) / school distict(s) involved for their violation of privacy, and perhaps extending beyond that into other constitutional/civil rights violations that could potentially include slander/libel or any number of additional charges. The jackbooted actions of said school officials have exposed the school district to very real legal liabilities and the sooner they recognize it the better.
A simple lesson, for all to learn from this, is that if you don't want anyone messing around with your phone, put a PIN on it. Most phones have this capability but few use it.
Quote from: Locutus on January 15, 2009, 01:10:35 PM
A simple lesson, for all to learn from this, is that if you don't want anyone messing around with your phone, put a PIN on it. Most phones have this capability but few use it.
Yup! :yes:
Quote from: Locutus on January 15, 2009, 01:10:35 PM
A simple lesson, for all to learn from this, is that if you don't want anyone messing around with your phone, put a PIN on it. Most phones have this capability but few use it.
You stop making sense this instant, young man! :laugh:
Quote from: Ghost of Jaco on January 15, 2009, 02:09:14 PM
You stop making sense this instant, young man! :laugh:
:biggrin: :yes:
Quote from: Locutus on January 15, 2009, 12:29:18 AM
I think he was joking. :wink:
Gawd... I hope so. :yes:
Quote from: Mr442 on January 15, 2009, 11:03:13 AM
Oh details, details, details. :rolleyes:
And yes, I was making a joke. :biggrin:
:biggrin: just checkin'. :yes:
Hey little girl, want some candy? :icon_twisted: :icon_twisted: :icon_twisted:
Quote from: Mr442 on January 16, 2009, 10:16:49 AM
Hey little girl, want some candy? :icon_twisted: :icon_twisted: :icon_twisted:
"Slow Poke"? :biggrin:
Mr Goodbar!
:biggrin:
I'm sure Hank would scream "Oh Henry!" :biggrin:
Quote from: Palehorse on January 16, 2009, 03:43:52 PM
:biggrin:
I'm sure Hank would scream "Oh Henry!" :biggrin:
(http://www.nestleusa.com/nirf/cm2/upload/BA266202-2B39-432A-B3FC-9CCA2BCE8C07/Oh_Henry_Image.jpg)
you know I saw one of these the other day and bought one....I don't think I had ever had one before....or it has been a loooong time agoe...it was pretty good!! :yes:
I should get some royalties from those... :confused: :yes:
Quote from: Henry Hawk on January 16, 2009, 03:49:52 PM
(http://www.nestleusa.com/nirf/cm2/upload/BA266202-2B39-432A-B3FC-9CCA2BCE8C07/Oh_Henry_Image.jpg)
you know I saw one of these the other day and bought one....I don't think I had ever had one before....or it has been a loooong time agoe...it was pretty good!! :yes:
I should get some royalties from those... :confused: :yes:
Aging can be ugly at times! :razz: :biggrin:
Once again, I'm speechless. :sneaky:
Sugar Daddy ;D and Zagnut :spooked: come to mind
Quote from: Mr442 on January 16, 2009, 10:16:49 AM
Hey little girl, want some candy? :icon_twisted: :icon_twisted: :icon_twisted:
:spooked: :biggrin:
Quote from: Palehorse on January 16, 2009, 12:57:51 PM
"Slow Poke"? :biggrin:
:sneaky: :o :spooked: :eek: ;D Cowabunga!!!! :biggrin:
Good n Plenty... :biggrin:
Fun Dip :spooked:
"Boy the way Glenn Miller played...."
http://www.nostalgiccandy.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=2 (http://www.nostalgiccandy.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=2)