GUILFORD, Maine — An 18-year-old student at Piscataquis Community High School accused of receiving and sharing pornographic images of an underage girl on his cellphone faces at least five years behind bars if convicted, according to District Attorney R. Christopher Almy.
Keenan Larry of Abbot was arrested Monday and charged with felony sexual exploitation of a minor, felony dissemination of sexually explicit material and misdemeanor possession of sexually explicit materials after he “solicited a fellow student to make a video of herself engaging in sexually explicit conduct” and then showed the video to other students, Almy said in an email.
The case has disrupted the school community for the past month while it was investigated and is typical of complaints received by the state’s computer crimes unit several times a week about the electronic sharing of nude images, officials said.
A representative from the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office arrested Larry around 3 p.m., Almy said. Larry remained at the county jail Monday night, according to a jail official.
The girl made the video for Larry and then sent it as a text message to his cellphone, according to Almy.
The sharing of nude images by cellphone or other electronic device or posting them to the Internet, known as “sexting,” is legal for consenting adults. However, those who possess or distribute nude images of minors in Maine are breaking the law.
“Possession by an adult of such material carries a five-year minimum sentence,” Almy said.
Larry was charged with sexual exploitation of a child, the most serious of the three crimes that carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison and and a fine of up to $20,000, because “he solicited and disseminated” the child pornography, Almy said.
School officials learned of the sexting a month ago and described the aftermath as “incredibly disruptive” for the small school, which serves the communities of Abbot, Cambridge, Guilford, Parkman, Sangerville and Wellington, Principal John Keane said Monday.
“Kids just don’t have any clue. It’s like putting it up on a billboard,” Keane said of explicit images students send to each other and post on social media sites.
Keane, who was surprised to learn Larry is facing two felony charges for the sexting, said staff and students need to learn the laws. He also said he wished Maine, like several other states, had a shield law for teen sexting, because “they just don’t understand the consequences of their actions.”
“It’s just a kid doing something stupid,” Keane said.
“When the school did its investigation, the students who were involved were disciplined — all of them,” Superintendent Ann Kirkpatrick said Monday of last month’s sexting investigation. She added, “More than one student was disciplined,” but declined to give further details about the exact number or why or how the students were penalized.
The path forward includes education, Kirkpatrick said.
There is one easy way to avoid breaking the law and future humiliation — don’t engage in sexting, Sgt. Laurie Northrup of the Maine Computer Crimes Unit said Monday.
“Once you send that picture out, it’s going to end up somewhere,” Northrup, who has worked computer crimes for a decade, said. “If you think he loves you, remember he’s got friends and he’s a boy and he’s going to share it. Don’t belittle yourself, because they do come back to haunt you.”
The computer crimes unit gets five or six complaints weekly, usually from young girls or women who have sent nude photos of themselves to others who have shared them, according to Northrup.
“I tell them, ‘I can’t help you,’” Northrup said.
Unless the images are stolen or involve juveniles pressured into sexual acts or nude poses, the computer crimes unit typically does not get involved, the sergeant said.
“It’s a parenting issue. It’s a supervision issue,” Northrup said. “Parents have got to keep an eye on the computer, cellphones and apps.”
The sexting incident is why an officer from the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office has been asked to come to the regional high school in May and to return in the fall to educate students about Maine sexting laws, Keane said.
“It’s not just sexting; it’s a lot of [online or electronic] things,” the principal said.
Images on the Internet are permanent and can come back to haunt teens later in life, the principal said, adding it’s not just about pornographic images. He said he checks social media sites for his students and after seeing some of the images, Keane commented, “You wouldn’t hire them.”
To help teens avoid the pressure of sexting, Ontario Provincial Police’s child sexual exploitation unit launched a sexting alternative app for teens called “Send This Instead,” which Northrup promoted.
“It will send a sarcastic message or a message board, and you can also make a report to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children,” Northrup said.
“I’m going to say what your mother should have. Nope,” reads response No. 31 on the “Send This Instead” website.
“I can’t send you nude photos, but I’ll forward this to my dad and you can try asking him for some,” response No. 49 states.
Because most teenagers have cellphones that can take and send photos, they need to know there are serious repercussions for sexting, Almy stressed.
“Do young people know that if their goal is to spend five years in jail that this is a quick and easy way to get it done?” the district attorney said.
The court can suspend the sentence for the Piscataquis Community High School student, if convicted, but only after a detailed opinion is written justifying the reasons, Almy said.
“We need to spread the word on the severity of this offense so kids don’t mess up,” the district attorney said.
To reach a sexual assault advocate, call the Statewide Sexual Assault Crisis and Support Line at 800-871-7741, TTY 888-458-5599. This free and confidential 24-hour service is accessible from anywhere in Maine. Calls are automatically routed to the closest sexual violence service provider.