Four teenage boys wanted in Yucaipa on suspicion of posting nude and semi-nude photos of at least eight girls on a social networking site have been identified and issued citations, a sheriff’s spokeswoman said Wednesday.
The girls’ photos have been taken off the website, which was not identified, at the request of authorities, said Arden Wiltshire, public information officer for the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department.
The case will be forwarded to the district attorney’s office for prosecution, she said.
The incident, which involved students at Yucaipa’s 9th Grade Campus, came to light Monday when police were notified of a website showing illicit photos of the 14- and 15-year-old girls.
The photos had been freely sent by the girls to their friends, Wiltshire said. But then someone posted them on a major website, which was not identified.
The practice of sending nude or semi-nude photos via cellphone or computer is known as "sexting." Wiltshire said statistics show one in five teenagers have done it – 22% of teen girls and 18% of boys.
Fifteen percent of teenage boys send racy photos of their ex-girlfriends far and wide once they break up, she said.
The suspects in this case are four 15-year-old boys. They are being sought for possession of harmful matter depicting a person under 18 and sexual exploitation of a minor.
— David Kelly