In a story that is equal parts heartbreaking, confounding, and just a friggin' nightmare to parents with kids of all ages, two Pasco County teens were arrested Tuesday on child-porn charges.
The charges comes after one of them allegedly videotaped the other having sex with a girl on their high school campus.
Child-pornography charges means federal crime, which means possible prison time.
Pasco deputies say that 17-year-old Cameron Coleman had sex with a 15-year-old girl inside Fivay High School's media center on March 11.
Meanwhile, Coleman's friend, 15-year-old Dillon Falls, videotaped the act.
Now Coleman is facing charges of lewd and lascivious behavior, while Falls faces child-pornography charges along with transmission of video.
Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco told wstp.com that parents need to be diligent, have a talk with their kids, and check their phones. He also reiterated that this is child porn.
"We cannot turn a blind eye to this," he said. "This is child porn. I suggest parents talk to their kids tonight and check their phones. It is very serious."
Meanwhile, Pasco Superintendent Kurt Browning says: "This is inappropriate behavior. This goes back to parents teaching kids what is inappropriate and what is appropriate."
This news comes on the heals of Cypress Bay High School teen girls having some of their nude photos published on a porn site last month.
It's always a complex issue when dealing with teens and sex (and holy crap, they seem to be getting active at a younger age nowadays). Talking it out certainly helps. Maybe. But we're gonna go ahead and say it's probably not that simple.
The real question here is, should Coleman and Falls be charged as criminals?
This comes down to two teen boys and a teen girl who are all basically still just children having forever had their lives altered in horrible ways because of a moment of, well, being horny teens. Especially if the boys are found guilty and the hammer comes down on them. Falls moreso, if the child-pornography charges stick.
Not to mention the girl, who, although every indication is that the sex was consensual, is also going to have to deal with the negative ramifications and all the other awful things that come with being a sexually active 15-year-old girl who was caught having sex on video.
No easy answers. But tragic all around nonetheless.
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