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Prosecutors charge teen with felony in nude cell phone pictures case

Do we really need to charge these kids? Yes, it is stupid, yes they shouldn't have done it...but to be charged as a felon or even a misdemeanor? This should be dealt with between the group of kids and their parents...not the courts! Text messaging is here to stay. Would they have been charged the same if they were sharing hard copy nude photos of each other? I think the fact a cell phone was used is making this a bigger deal than it is. Also, I bet this is happening all over Utah high schools, colleges, businesses, etc. Again, its wrong, i don't agree with it and my kids would get a long lecture if involved, but to charge these kids is ridiculous as long as there was not intent to cause harm. It seems They were just goofing off. Setting a precedent and sending a message to the kids is good, but do it in some other way than threatening to put them on the sex offender list! If this was a group of college kids, would they all now be sex offenders?

As I think it was Samuel Goldwyn who said, "if you want to send a message, call Western Union."

It is simply contemptible that a Utah prosecutor would file felony charges -- that have the potential to absolutely ruin a young man's life -- over what is essentially a really stupid adolescent move. As many intelligent conservatives have said before, I deplore the "proliferation of felonies." The charge of felony -- a class of crimes that once commanded the death penalty -- has become way too common. Keep the misdemeanor charges and throw the book at the kid if that's what's needed to "send a message," but a felony charge is typical government overkill.

This lawyer says that prosecutor ought to be fired.

What an idiot (prosecutor)! Why ruin a life of a 15 year old? What happened to the country?! We all know it is wrong but we all keep our mouths shut.
There are many solutions to the incident, but they will require common sense.
Wake up, America!

I think this is a perfect punishment for the crime. Anything less would be an insult to justice. Anything more severe would brng out the nutjobs complaining about creepy lawyers.

Good work Davis County District Attorneys Office.

Have the Davis County prosecutors nothing to do?

Charging a 15-year-old boy with a felony for being a 15-year-old boy?

Who are these clowns with law degrees?

We are apparently missing the part of the story that implied that there was an unwilling victim in the case involving the unnamed 15 year old. When a minor is sexually victimized it certainly should be a felony and a 15 year old is old enough to know better.

Davis County has always prosecuted with a bit of overzealousness. Too bad for this kid. I hope he can get his Juvenile record sealed.
This is basically a Status offense. If the boy were 18 and the girl was 18... there wouldn't be a problem here. In my mind it is like underage drinking.

Are you really surprised that this kid was charged? With so much law enforcement already deals with concerning nudity of minors and real perpetrators, they're probably pissed that some dumb teens would do something so stupid. I don't agree that he should be charged with a felony, but maybe he'll learn his lesson. Just don't do dumb stuff people!

Yes.. if they were clooge kids, they would have been treated with the full extent of the law.... including sex offender registry if the crime fits the criteria. Though I must agree with the felony charge being extreme, I think that just a lecture is not enough either because it falls on deaf ears. That is why juveniles (who at this age KNEW what they were doing was wrong) continue to do things with the thought that a lecture is all that will happen to them! and we wonder why the youth today are disrespectful?? Because of the law, we can't physically discipline our kids so unfortunately we have to let the law run its course. A misdemeanor would not ruin the kids life but send a strong message to him and others that what they did was against the law and hopefully prevent others from doing it.

Obviously, children need to be trained in the home regarding these dangers and possible consequences of childish pranks. Parents need to get a clue just as much as the kids do regarding this matter. For better or worse, kids today cannot get away with the same stuff we did 30 years ago, so it's imperative that we teach them that there are consequences for their actions. The prosecutor is doing his job - - those who would like to see the prosecutor's head on a platter are extremely bold in talking smack, but I doubt they would do any different than the prosecutor if they were in his shoes.

It's always troubling to see the strong, absolute opinions about legal issues expressed by people who have not seen any actual evidence, have not talked to any witnesses, don't know anything except what they read in the paper (written by people who also don't really have any direct information), and they still think they know enough to criticize the people who have the evidence and have talked to the witnesses! Doubting "Thomas" even claims to be a lawyer! And "Charging these kids" knows what the defendants' intentions were, apparently by ESP! I'm glad we don't have prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges making decisions and acting on the basis of news reports, imagination, prejudice, ESP, and sheer ego. Geez, people! You sound like Nancy Grace and the Fox Noise Channel, where the facts don't matter and information just gets in the way of a good yammering.

This is nothing like underaged drinking. Once that picture leaves one person's cell phone, who know's where it will land and how many other people will see it. Not only will the perpetrator have to live with what they did, but the victim, whether willing or unwilling will have to live with that exposure too!We all have our agency and we all have rules to live by. Normally the rules exist for our own protection. Since we have agency, we can choose to ignore the rules, but we cannot choose, nor can we avoid the consequences. Also, the actions of these kids also affect their parents and other loved ones, AND THEIR FRIENDS TOO

Why don't we leave this matter to the kids' parents. I think they are more than qualified deal with something as stupid as this. The last thing the parents need in there pursuit of teaching their children right and wrong is for some arrogant lawyer to get in the way.

On this same site is a story about the registry in Salt Lake City,and the comments on it are all about how it is the slippery slope to far worse things to come, then I read this story about children sending nude pictures of themselves and it's all "kids will be kids.." mentality. What??? There's no slippery slope here?

I read comments about this all should be kept between the parents and the kids, well it would seem that if the parents were involved in their children's lives in the first place none of this would have happened. I also liked the comment about giving your kids a stern talking to. Yeah, that'll stop them from doing asnything like this again. My kid would loose his cell phone before you could say "text message".

Maybe we should stop looking to blame the "them" or "they" in our society and look at the own decline of morals in our own homes. The kids broke the laws, they ashould know better. My understanding is that after the age of 8 they are accountable for their actions. Or does that not apply in cases like this???

Enough said

Being a teacher ( watch all the attacks on education come out after that admittance) I am sure that for the DA to choose the path he did came with a lot of fore thought. I agree whole heartedly with Utah JD and laugh at anonymous right after him. Anonymous said "leave it to the parents to teach the kid." I believe this fully to but we did in this case and the kid did not choose wisely after the parent had raised him. I suggest we go to just home schooling and home incarceration (said with tongue in cheek)

"Why don't we leave this matter to the kids' parents. I think they are more than qualified deal with something as stupid as this."


OBVIOUSLY NOT

Why the determination not to see these perverts on the registry?

It is a small step from what they are doing to taking pictures of classmates unaware (bathrooms, dressing rooms etc); if they have not already.

As a parent I would like some warning that juveniles my kids are associating with have engaged in such behavior.

Ummmmm, those of you saying these kids "shouldn't be charged" and are "just being dumb kids": You do realize that what they were doing was creating CHILD PORNOGRAPHY, right? Kiddie porn is a serious crime - many people have spent a majority of their lives in prison because of it.

If a 50-year-old man were doing what these kids did, would you be here defending him by arguing he was just being a dumb adult? Somehow I don't think so.

Kiddie porn is a serious crime, and I'm glad. I don't care how old the maker was.

Let me get this straight. If it's an adult passing around nude pictures of children, it's classified as pornography and he or she would be prosecuted to the maximum and be registered as a sex offender for his or her entire "life". If it's a 15 year old passing it around and some impressionable teen who didn't care to receive it, does receive it and is highly offended, it's "kids just being kids"? What's the matter with you people?