The Oakland Police Department is investigating a Facebook page that is threatening to post explicit photos of local underage girls.
“The school resource officers from Waterville, Winslow and Fairfield are also aware,” the department said on its own Facebook page.
Oakland police said they have submitted a subpoena request to Facebook to identify anyone involved in the offending page.
“Facebook is a massive entity and at times it takes hours for them to respond to this type of emergency request,” Oakland police said about 5 p.m. Tuesday. “However, they work well with law enforcement and we expect a reply soon.”
Topsham’s Police Department shared the Oakland department’s post, adding, “This is a very serious form of cyberbullying that could cause very serious real-world consequences.”
Both departments urged anyone with information about the Facebook page in question to contact local law enforcement.
The possession and dissemination of sexually explicit material featuring a minor is a Class C crime in Maine. If the material features a person younger than 12 years old, offenders may be charged with a Class B Crime.