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Title: These Teens Kept Their Sexting Private, But Cops Found Out. Now They Face Sex Offender Registry, Jail.
Source:
Reason
URL Source: http://reason.com/blog/2015/09/01/t ... s-kept-their-sexting-private-b
Published: Sep 1, 2015
Author: Robby Soave
Post Date: 2015-09-02 10:24:48 by Deckard
Keywords: None
Views: 3525
Comments: 83
Fayetteville, North Carolina, cops have charged 17-year-old Cormega Copening with sexual exploitation of a minor—his girlfriend, who is the same age—because the couple sent each other nude photos of themselves during their relationship. There’s no evidence the photos were ever sent to anyone else, and police only became aware of them because they searched Copening’s phone for unrelated reasons that haven't been specified. Even so, the teen—formerly the starting quarterback at his high school—faces decades on the Sex Offender Registry and up to ten years behind bars if convicted. He’s also been benched from the team while Jack Britt High School investigates the matter. Copening’s girlfriend—who remains unnamed in the news articles—is also facing charges, ABC11 reported. These teen-sexting witch hunts are almost always outrageous; they conflate child pornography with something far less sinister. It’s perfectly normal—and wildly common—for kids to express an interest in sex. Should authority figures discourage underage sexting? Sure. Should they ruin kids’ lives for doing it anyway? Absolutely not. But Copening’s situation is more outrageous than most. As far as I can tell, the pictures weren’t shared with anyone else—this isn’t a case where a boy texted a girl’s nude photos to all of his friends and caused her some considerable public humiliation. The photos were private, and remained that way, until the cops got hold of them. If there’s public humiliation here, police intervention is the cause. Consider as well that Copening reciprocated with photos of his own. Does not a mutual, voluntary exchange of photos undercut the notion that “sexual exploitation” is a factor here? It’s more than a little ridiculous to accuse these two of exploiting each other—although this is precisely what the authorities are doing, I presume (the specific charges against the girlfriend were not reported). Lastly, it bears repeating that these teens were 17. If they had waited until they were 18 to send the photos, no crime would have occurred. Eighteen-year-olds are recognized as fully-autonomous sexual adults. Kylie Jenner, who just turned 18, has been inundated with requests to make a sex tape (indeed, filmmakers began making these requests even before she turned 18). The law, by its very nature, permits no nuance: you are 18, or you’re not. But it’s ridiculous to think that teens are magically transformed into adults on their 18th birthday. Many of them—perhaps Copening and his girlfriend—might be ready for mature relationships that involve sex (or, at least, sexy pictures) prior to the government’s randomly-selected date. There’s one more disturbing angle to this story. If Copening is too young to send pictures of his own body, is he not also too young to be made a social pariah? Don’t news agencies often withhold publication of the names of crime victims when they are underage? Copening is a crime victim, according to the police, but multiple local news agencies reported his name and the full situation. They reported on his suspension from the high school football team. They showed his headshot. They pointed out the likelihood that he will have to register as a sex offender. The criminal charges and possible jail time are the worst consequences of the police investigation, but the smearing of Copening’s name and ruining of his high school experience are also unfortunate outcomes—each of them much worse than the harm from a nude photo swap that would have never come to light if the cops had minded their own business. 
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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 41.
#25. To: Deckard (#0)
On its own the charge seems stupid. However, they searched the guy's phone for some reason and evidently found something. Without knowing what else they found, it is difficult to assess the merit of this action. As speculation, he may have a collection of such girlfriend photos, going back a few years. This girlfriend may have become a cooperative witness. The rest of the story is needed before this is dismissed as an overreach. It could just be two teens, or it could be one teen quarterback football hero who has done this with lots of underage girls. http://myfox8.com/2015/09/01/nc-high-school-quarterback-facing-sexting-charge/ http://wncn.com/2015/08/31/jack-britt-high-school-qb-facing-sex-charges/ During an investigation in October of last year, deputies say they found nude pictures in Copening’s cellphone and that he and his girlfriend were apparently sexting. Both are under 18. Copening is also charged with breaking a student’s car window with a football. Copening, who was 16 at the time and is now 17, also faces possible prison time and the requirement to register as a sex offender if convicted. The charges have already forced him off the football team at Jack Britt High School. He had been the quarterback. [...] The investigations usually are into instances in which photos are shared among a group instead of just within a couple, he said. To his knowledge, Denson's and Copening's pictures weren't shared with anyone else. He said they were discovered during an investigation of other explicit photos that were being shared among teens without the consent of the person or persons pictured. West would not comment on the specifics of the Denson and Copening cases. However, he said, in cases where the defendants and victims were willing participants and close in age, his office typically lets them plead guilty to a misdemeanor with a deferred prosecution. This is how Denson is settling her case. In court on July 21, Denson told District Court Judge Stephen Stokes that she was responsible for the crime of disseminating harmful material to minors. This is a misdemeanor and does not have the life-ruining requirement that she register as a sex offender. One of West's assistants dropped the felony sexual exploitation charges. Stokes put Denson on probation for a year. He ordered her to pay $200 in court costs, stay in school, take a class on how to make good decisions, refrain from using illegal drugs or alcohol, not possess a cellular phone for the duration of her probation and to do 30 hours of community service. If Denson stays out of trouble, West's office next July will drop the misdemeanor charge. She will be able to move on with her life with a clean criminal record.
The rest of the story is needed before this is dismissed as an overreach. It could just be two teens, or it could be one teen quarterback football hero who has done this with lots of underage girls. The bottom line is if someone sends a nude photo to another on a mobile device, it WILL 'grow' legs. This whole article brought back bad memories of the last separation board I sat on where the board members had to review the evidence of 'sexting'. It was nothing nice to read or 'see.'
There are no replies to Comment # 41. End Trace Mode for Comment # 41.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest There’s no evidence the photos were ever sent to anyone else, and police only became aware of them because they searched Copening’s phone for unrelated reasons that haven't been specified.
The charges stem from an incident that happened last October. The couple was charged in February, but Jack Britt High School officials said they were unaware of the charges until a couple of weeks ago.
Copening is charged with five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. Officials said the incidents happened while he was a student at Douglas Byrd High.
The Fayetteville girl, Brianna Denson, was sexting with her boyfriend, Cormega Zyon Copening, the Sheriff's Office said. The agency hit Copening with five sexual exploitation of a minor charges - four for making and possessing two sexually explicit pictures of himself and the last for possessing a copy of the picture that Denson made for him.
#41. To: nolu chan, CZ82, liberator (#25)
As speculation, he may have a collection of such girlfriend photos, going back a few years. This girlfriend may have become a cooperative witness.
Replies to Comment # 41.
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