Henrico police are broadening an investigation into the exchange of possibly pornographic images among juveniles to include several middle schools in the county.
"It's an ongoing investigation and we are expanding it to include other schools," Henrico Police Lt. Doug Perry said today.
Perry said that school officials at Moody Middle School first came across "naked photos of students" several weeks ago but that similar types of images have been discovered at other schools. He declined to be specific.
In addition, images have turned up on school-issued laptops, raising issues of violations of school policies regarding use of the computers as well as issues of possible criminal liability.
School resource officers across the county have been developing programs with school administrators to inform students about the potential criminal nature of possessing, sending and receiving the images. The material also can be a violation of school policies.
"We're trying to get the word out there that once you e-mail something it can be obtained by anyone. These things don't just disappear," he said.
Perry said middle school students apparently have been texting naked images of themselves to one another, a phenomenon that has received widespread attention at the high school level across the nation but apparently is now occurring among younger students in middle schools.
Middle school students generally range from 11 to 14 years of age.
It was not clear today how widespread the practice is at the middle school level in Henrico, much less elsewhere in Virginia and the country.
Perry said similar problems have not turned up at county high schools. "At least not yet," he added.
Perry said that the results of the investigation will be turned over to Henrico Commonwealth's Attorney Wade A. Kizer.
"It's a very gray area," Perry said, speaking of the difference between juveniles exchanging or possessing the pictures and adults possessing what can be construed as child pornography.
The investigation began in early March when school officials at Moody confiscated three jump drives, a portable memory attachment that can be used with cell phones and laptops.
A search warrant obtained a week ago to examine the contents of the jump drives states that police were seeking "any photos or files that contain pornographic material, or any data that shows the transfer, or downloading of any such files or data" from any of the confiscated drives.
Contact Bill McKelway at (804) 640-6601 or bmckelway@timesdispatch.com.
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