NC teen girl found not guilty of distributing teacher’s nude photo in ‘catfishing’ ploy

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (AP/WNCN) – An Onslow County high school student accused of “catfishing” a teacher and circulating the teacher’s nude photo has been found not guilty.

Brittney Renee Luckenbaugh, 16, was acquitted Thursday on the charge of misdemeanor disclosure of private images. The case of a 16-year-old boy, Brian Joshua Anderson, charged with the same offense is pending.

The Onslow County Sheriff’s Office said the pair received the nude photos by catfishing the teacher through a social media site, the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office said.

Catfishing is when someone lies about who they are online and enters a relationship with someone using that fictional online persona.

The two students attended Swansboro High School and obtained the male teacher’s picture after misrepresenting themselves on Grindr, a gay dating app, according to the sheriff’s office.

According to testimony, Luckenbaugh forwarded the picture to the boy, who shared it with five friends.

Luckenbaugh’s attorney, Matt Silva, said the state didn’t prove she intended to humiliate the teacher, who he says didn’t have a reasonable expectation of privacy after sending images to a stranger.

The judge based his ruling on similar points.