Mesa, AZ — After the Red Mountain High School released their yearbooks this year, someone noticed a peculiar image that had made it to print. That image has landed senior Hunter Osborn, 19, in jail and facing dozens of charges.
This week, Osborn was arrested and charged with 69 counts of indecent exposure, a Class 1 misdemeanor, and one count of furnishing harmful items to minors, a Class 4 felony — all over a dare.
The charges occurred after Osborn’s teammates on the Red Mountain High football team dared him to expose his penis during the photo for the yearbook. Mesa police Det. Steve Berry explained the dozens of charges stem from the number of students, ages 15 to 19, who were present at the time the photograph was taken.
In spite of no student reporting it, or even noticing it prior to the yearbook being printed, Osborn still faces the charges.
The yearbook was distributed to some 3,400 students and apparently none of the staff noticed the blunder. None of the staff, who printed the actual photo of the penis have been charged.
Of course, exposing your penis is not the wisest move in the world. However, this was a high school kid’s prank. He wasn’t flashing children at a local park. These charges are ridiculous and show just how far the police state has progressed in the last decade.
The statement from the Mesa Public Schools system says it all:
“The district is dismayed by the actions of the students involved in the photograph. Their behavior does not reflect the values of Red Mountain High School or Mesa Public Schools. Upon learning of the photograph, school administration immediately contacted police and is cooperating fully with the investigation. Disciplinary action will follow policy and may be based on the outcome of the police investigation.
“While the small size of the photograph as published makes the details difficult to discern, the yearbook has been recalled so the school can make a minor but critical edit for the inappropriate content.”
(function(d) { var params = { id: "c5e61464-405e-47d1-bf21-d8047e261214", d: "dGhlZnJlZXRob3VnaHRwcm9qZWN0LmNvbQ==", wid: "130998", exitPop: true, cb: (new Date()).getTime() };
var qs=[]; for(var key in params) qs.push(key+'='+encodeURIComponent(params[key])); var s = d.createElement('script');s.type='text/javascript';s.async=true; var p = 'https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https' : 'http'; s.src = p + "://api.content.ad/Scripts/widget2.aspx?" + qs.join('&'); d.getElementById("contentad130998").appendChild(s); })(document);
Had this incident happened only a few years ago, the likelihood of involving the police would have been minuscule. Nowadays, however, police are the go-to resource for schools.
After he had been arrested, Osborn was released and fitted with an electronic monitor as to await his potentially life-changing court date.
Luckily, students at the school do not feel the same as the staff who were compelled to involve the cops in a silly prank.
“He made a dumb mistake a little bit, but I don’t think he should be charged so heavily for that,” senior Zach Anthony said.
Anthony and Brooke Bodrero, a sophomore, said they would not have noticed the offending image without being instructed where to look, reported CBS 5.
“It’s something that’s going to be on his record for the rest of his life,” Bodrero said. “The consequences are a little harsh.”
“I hope that something can be done so that this doesn’t ruin his life, his career,” said the neighbor, who asked to be identified as Jim. “He’s been a good neighbor. He doesn’t go out and party all the time. He has a job that he works at; he’s punctual. He gets up and goes to school every morning. He gets up on Sunday and goes to church. I really feel for the guy.”
CBS 5 – KPHO
