A West Georgia middle schooler could be facing felony charges after investigators say he took a photo of another student using the bathroom.
According to The Augusta Chronicle, the 14-year-old from Glascock County held his phone under a bathroom stall and took a picture of another student going to the bathroom. He later showed the photo to other students.
“School staff were made aware of the picture and the incident and given the nature of the picture and how the picture was taken...it was turned over to us because it did violate the law of child pornography,” Glascock County Sheriff Jeremy Kelley told the newspaper. “Charges were filed by our school resource officer.”
Students are allowed to bring cell phones to school with them, but they must be locked in their lockers as soon as they arrive on campus, the newspaper reported.
Now, the district attorney in that area is deciding whether or not to charge the student with a felony.
“The offender took an inappropriate picture of the victim without permission,” Kelley told the paper. “It is in the hands of the Department of Juvenile Justice and the district attorney’s office at this point. There are pending charges for manufacturing child pornography. It is a felony.”
The sheriff said his office is working with Georgia Bureau of Investigation authorities, who deal with internet crimes against children, to talk to students about internet safety and sending inappropriate pictures.
Kelly also urged parents to talk to their students.
“Parents need to sit down and have real conversations with their kids about the availability and dangers of technology,” he told the paper.
The newspaper said their calls to the DA’s office for comment on this story were not returned.
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