Investigation of Child Porn 'Sexting' Case Among Lee High Students Underway

The Fairfax County Police Department is investigating a possible "sexting" case among Robert E. Lee High School under a possible violation of child pornography laws, Kingstowne Patch has learned.

According to search warrant applications filed in the Fairfax County Circuit Court, police have asked for access to at least two phones and an iPod Touch that they suspect contain child pornography.

In November 2010, a 15-year-old student at Lee took nude pictures of herself with her iPod Touch. She sent the pictures to her 15-year-old then-boyfriend, who forwarded the pictures to another student's cell phone. That student then forwarded the picture to another friend, and the images began to spread quickly amongst other students.

According to an affidavit written by Lee's School Resource Officer, Officer Iva N. Robertson, the images were sent to or obtained by at least six other students besides the 15-year-old girl and her boyfriend.

Robertson learned about the images in April, and requested search warrants for at least two phones and an iPod Touch related to "possible charges of possession, reproduction, distribution, or facilitation of child pornography." According to Robertson's affidavit, the seized devices will be sent to a computer forensic laboratory for recovery and analysis.

FCPD spokesperson Lucy Caldwell said Tuesday that no charges had been filed in the case.

The alleged offenses did not occur on Lee property, according to Fairfax County Public Schools spokesperson Paul Regnier. Regnier said FCPS brings police officers to schools to teach students that "sexting."

"We do what we can," he said in a phone interview Tuesday. Regnier added that any future action against the students would be handled by the police, not FCPS.