Vermont Teen Sext Ring Involved Dozens Of Students Using School Computers

MONTPELIER, Vt. -- Nearly two dozen Vermont teenagers were involved in a sexting ring in which two of them used school-issued computers to access indecent photos and videos of female classmates, police said Thursday.

Five boys admitted viewing 30 to 40 images and three videos, many of which were sent by cellphone, Milton police said. Two of the boys used school-issued laptop computers to access and distribute the images, police said. The Milton Independent first reported the story on Wednesday.

The girls took photos of themselves and sent them to the boys, who forwarded them to the shared email account, Milton Police Detective Cpl. Paul Locke said. He said 17 girls aged 14 to 17 were in the photos, many of which qualify as child pornography.

"Technically a majority is considered child pornography because it is indecent material of a juvenile," he said.

Former Milton School Superintendent Martin Waldron has said that school officials became aware of the case on Feb. 17, when a student who felt victimized came forward with "concerns about distribution of inappropriate pictures." School officials then heard from more students and turned the case over to police, he said.

All of the teens had taken responsibility for what they had done, Locke said. The teens will not face criminal charges but must attend mandatory sessions with a community justice board, police said.

Prosecutor T.J. Donovan said he thought the punishment should be educational not punitive.

"I think it's incumbent on us to educate them about frankly the consequences of their actions," he said. "When you send these images out, you lose control of them and there's going consequences ... and we really need to educate young people about frankly some of the dangers of technology."

The Associated Press left a message for school officials.

Vermont passed a law in 2009 that permits prosecutors to send teenage cell phone "sexting" cases to juvenile courts to eliminate the stigma of child pornography convictions.

Comments

[Ask me Later]

02:45 PM on 08/24/2011

What ever happened to good old text books, pads, and pencils? When did we become so dependent on computers that we use those to teach our kids instead of a human being? The schools should put a lock on such things. They should make it where only certain sites are available to the student for study only. Also they should have it where they can monitor each laptop that is issued out from the school itself. Or just go back to the books and paper. As far as cellphones...Don't give the child a cell unless they can work and get it themselves. Then when they do get it, limit it. Limit what they can do on there. No picture text, and no internet. That way they can not send the pictures or view them on their phones.

[mystshy]

12:17 PM on 08/22/2011

KIDS CAN BE NUTTYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

[Ty Thompson]

01:24 AM on 08/21/2011

Common sense instead of zero tolerance breaking out in courts and schools? Is it contagious? Are all communities susceptible to common sense? Will common sense threaten our national security? This has to be nipped in the bud before people expect to be treated fairly! It must be stopped before legislatures are held responsible for passing arbitrary and harmful laws!

[NRAMember2008]

08:57 PM on 08/20/2011

Don't allow your kids to have cell phones at such a young age. Schools need to crack down on what goes on at school, Parents trust the school system to protect their children when at school.

[mrdpavo]

02:46 AM on 08/21/2011

No cell phones at 17? That's completely unrealistic. Instead of simply not giving the child a phone, the parents should teach the child what to do and what not to do. I got my first mobile phone when I was 13 and, unlike these kids, I actually know right from wrong because my parents taught me. This is a bigger problem than the kids having cell phones.

[dbrett480]

09:26 PM on 08/19/2011

I'm glad that this is being dealt with outside the criminal justice system. While what they did was definitely wrong, sending them through the court system when they have no prior record helps no one.

[free nel]

07:34 PM on 08/19/2011

Wow as a teenager i say kudos for getting away...Just kidding this makes me wan't to puke :(
It's sick personally. How could you even stand to do something like that..there's something called a sense of self worth people. Doing this is just killing it. S.M.H

[Cruel Justice Awaits]

03:20 PM on 08/19/2011

Its a good thing other physical necessities that are also quite relieving are not the same focus of visual obsession to the human animal. Well...at least the vast majority anyway.

[Roofer Ron]

03:15 PM on 08/19/2011

What happenned to the comment from the person who just graduated from this school?
I thought it was quite relevant.

[jabb5076]

02:34 PM on 08/19/2011

Many of the people posting here who think that it's no big deal because they're kids, and kids have/are interested in sex, etc., are forgetting that these pictures were all being exchanged on school issued computers. That not only would be a clear violation of the proper use form the students and their parents almost assuredly had to sign, but the fact that the school system's filters allowed it to occur could leave the school district open to lawsuits. I think they pretty much have to crack down to show they're being proactive.

[elamatt]

01:42 PM on 08/19/2011

Oh, they're in double trouble, with the law and with (probably) the school district's AUP/acceptable use policy for internet/computer usage. Most--more likely all now--school districts have these imposed. I've seen students gone for 10 days suspension, minimum, for this, and any continuance would lead to a tribunal and potential expulsion. They know the rules, but don't know how "qualified" the tech personnel is in school systems today. They can find anything!

[dmoor]

09:31 PM on 08/18/2011

Obviously the principals in this area are terrible at their job.Because arent the principals supposed to pry into the personal lives of students.Lets fire all the principals and have the gustapo run the schools like they do in Indiana.

[ChiGuy]

12:38 PM on 08/19/2011

You sound upset that since the situation has been exposed and addressed, you may not have the opportunity to download any of these images.

[dmoor]

09:20 PM on 08/19/2011

Wow is that the best you can do misfit.But hey some of those pics could be worth money someday so hell yea.

[liberalbug]

09:16 PM on 08/18/2011

High school was so boring for me. Heck, we were lucky if we could get a peep down a blouse in gym class and if someone ever did you bet people would talk for days. Now the girls just throw their clothes off, take pictures, and send them to the whole darned school.

[manntxs]

04:57 PM on 08/19/2011

You must not have gone to school in the sixties during the time of short skirts. By the end of the second class we knew what color panties different girls were wearing!! wooohooo! Not. By yesterdays standards that was exciting, today, makes that look more than tame.

[dmoor]

04:00 PM on 08/20/2011

Hell they knew what color the carpet was on Total Tranquility's mom the first day.

[pdxist]

09:09 PM on 08/18/2011

You know the internet is ruining in-person interaction when teenagers have physical access to each other but instead go online to look at their pictures.

[ttopaster]

07:35 PM on 08/19/2011

very true!

[Roofer Ron]

09:00 PM on 08/18/2011

I just think this is immoral. What did the parents do?

[Deli]

07:48 PM on 08/18/2011

I am not certain, but are these white boys? If they were black kids in the South it would be prison time and life as a registered sex offender. No equal justice under the law.

[AppleBaby]

11:27 AM on 08/19/2011

Vermont. Any more questins?

[ttopaster]

07:36 PM on 08/19/2011

BINGO!

and not really sure the orig post is true, kind of jumping to assumptions there.

[lamarlord7]

10:11 AM on 08/20/2011

Outrageous! You'll never see the news inudated with this type of thing. But it is a big problem...in all states and neighborhoods.