Pender County student faces serious charges after sexting incident

We are two weeks into the new school year, and sexting has already posed a problem in a local school. A Pender County teen was suspended from school after sending cell phone photos showing intimate contact, known as sext messages.

Sexting is sending nude or partially nude pictures via cell phone, and it is a disturbing trend among teenagers. Pender County Detective Scott Lawson said he warned students about the consequences of sexting last year, including this particular student.

“Last year, District Attorney Ben David and I went to each middle and high school in Pender County and we addressed the issue of sexting with all the students in Pender County and advised them that if it continued to be a problem, there would be consequences,” he said. “This year, when the issues came up, and here we are the second week of school, there are going to be consequences.”

The student in this recent incident, and anyone the pictures were sent to, could face child pornography or sex offender charges.

Because the student is under 18, we are not revealing a name or the school in question.

What most parents and teens do not realize is by taking these compromising pictures and pushing the send button on a cell phone, they could be charged with manufacturing and disseminating child pornography and face life-altering consequences.