MOUNT VERNON — Cellular phones can be a wonderful means of communication, but misusing the capabilities of the newest generations of cell phones can also lead to criminal charges.
Chip McConville of the Knox County Prosecutor’s Office said there is a pending investigation concerning alleged lewd pictures being taken and circulated by students at Mount Vernon High School. He also said this sort of thing is becoming a widespread problem, and his office is hearing about it from other jurisdictions.
“It’s not confined to the school building,” he said, “and it’s not confined to school hours.”
McConville said sending nude photos between juvenile recipients does have the potential to result in criminal charges.
“It can be charged as a number of things,” he said, “but one of them is disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, which is a misdemeanor. I think there probably isn’t a good understanding that this is potentially a criminal offense. ... I’ve been working to increase the awareness that this kind of behavior can potentially land you in court.”
McConville declined to state how many students were involved, or give further details since the investigation is ongoing. Mount Vernon superintendent Steve Short also declined to comment as the investigation is ongoing.
