A young man is in legal trouble after posting some revealing photographs of a former female companion over the social media. The victim, who is now a college student, was 16 at the time the photos were taken.
The 18-year-old suspect, who is from the suburban Atlanta area, has been released on bond. As the alleged victim is now 18 and attending college, law enforcement officials with her school are investigating this incident and were the ones who requested the charges.
In addition to being charged with a misdemeanor under Georgia’s law which, effectively, prohibits the use of “revenge porn,” the man also faces charges related to child pornography and child exploitation, presumably because the photos he allegedly posted were of a someone who was 16. If the man is convicted, he can face jail time, being placed on the sex offender registry, strict probation and, of course, the loss of professional and personal opportunities.
According to police, the man chose to post these photos when the alleged victim declined to get back together with him or associate with him. He supposedly uploaded the photographs last April, but the alleged victim did not find out about the posts until recently, at which time she contacted the police who work at her college.
This story can serve as a warning to those who use social media should do so mindful that what they might see as harmless jokes or, at worst, mean pranks could be seen by authorities as serious sex crimes that warrant jail time. Those accused of such crimes will likely require a strong criminal defense to protect their rights.
Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Cops: Man posted ex-girlfriend’s underage nude photos to Snapchat,” Raisa Habersham, Aug. 17, 2017.
