ROCKY MOUNT, Va., May 20 (UPI) -- Five Virginia high school students have been charged with felony counts related to cellphone-transmitted pornographic images, officials said.
Several such "sexting" cases have resulted in felony charges in Rocky Mount and in Franklin County in recent months, the Roanoke Times reported Thursday.
The most recent charges stem from a female student at Franklin County High School taking a male student's phone into a bathroom to take pictures of herself, the Times reported.
It's not clear what the consequences of the felony pornography charges might be but the chances of the students being convicted on the charges are as likely "as the moon coming crashing down tomorrow," Commonwealth Attorney Cliff Hapgood said.
There are no Virginia or federal laws dealing with sexting, the newspaper said.
Some commonwealth attorneys in the area said they tend not to file pornography charges for sexting, saying such charges are too harsh. Henry County Commonwealth's Attorney Bob Bushnell said he files misdemeanor obscenity charges instead.
