The families of Cape May County school kids got a strong dose of reality Tuesday, as charges were announced against 20 students in a "sexting" investigation at Cape May Regional High School and Richard M. Teitelman Middle School.

According to the Press of Atlantic City, "investigators analyzed 27 cell phones as part of the investigation into nude and partially nude photographs of female students being shared via social media and texting, Cape May County Prosecutor Robert L. Taylor and Lower Township Police Chief William Mastriana said in announcing the arrests."

The investigation began in April after a student at Cape May Regional High notified school officials that naked pictures of a female friend were being shared by male students. It was not clear which of the two schools the student attends.

Authorities discovered several photographs of nude and partially nude female students that had been sent between male students through texting and social media.

The 20 students suspected were charged with invasion of privacy. The teenagers could be sentenced to as much as two years in the Training School for juvenile offenders.  The adult faces a possible three-to five-year prison term.

Cape May County Prosecutor Robert Taylor thanked the schools for aiding in the investigation. A spokesperson for the office said the prevalence of "sexting" in area schools was "concerning" in a press release, noting that students needed to understand the impacts of their actions.  For 20 Cape May families, that awareness is now becoming very real.

 

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