Castle Rock — Pictures of naked middle- school girls that classmates forwarded on their cellphones have triggered a criminal investigation. At least one of the digital pictures reached as far as California over the Internet, said Tony Lane, Castle Rock police chief. Police say the girls at Castle Rock Middle School took naked pictures of themselves on their cellphones and then sent them to their boyfriends. The boys then forwarded the pictures to their friends. Dozens of students at the school, which includes seventh and eighth grades, have already been implicated in the forwarding of the pictures, Lane said. Publishing nude pictures of minors on the Internet, either on pornographic sites or on sites such as MySpace or Facebook, is classified as sexual exploitation of a child, a Class 4 felony. A student confirmed the story Monday, and police were contacted immediately.

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Law enforcement say they're investigating a lot of cases of nude photos being used for blackmail or other forms of control. But Gearman says it is something every parent needs to be aware of, perhaps even earlier than many people might think. But Captain Gearman says teens are not the only people sending and using nude pictures for control. Hegg says parents should outline their rights in a contract with their teen before they ever start using a cellphone. Hegg says that contract should also spell out the consequences if a parent does find that their child is using their cellphone inappropriately. Police say it's important to help teens, and even adults, realize the serious possible consequences of sending nude photos. They say you never know where those photos may end up down the road. Click Here to access the online Public Inspection File.
Middle school students in suburban Maryland are being approached through Snapchat to send nude selfies to an anonymous user who is posting the images to a website that students — or others who know the password — are viewing, according to school officials. Montgomery County officials say they have received at least 10 reports of activity related to the scheme from middle schools in recent days and have turned them over to police. They said some Montgomery County students have sent photos, and others have been given the password to the website. We want them to stay safe online. Turner said little is known about who is behind the effort and whether that person is a student or adult. Students have come forward at Montgomery schools including A.