Big Bear High School students could face charges of possessing child pornography if they refuse to turn in a yearbook that features a sexually suggestive photo, detectives warned.
The photo in question, which was taken at a school dance, shows a 17-year-old boy's hand inside the clothing of a 15-year-old girl and may involve sexual penetration, the Associated Press reported. The couple was featured in the background of the photo. The sexual nature of the pictured was first noticed Tuesday.
"When the adviser scanned the photo, it was very easy to overlook," San Bernardino County Sheriff's spokeswoman Cynthia Bachman told the Sacramento Bee.
"You know, how you look at a photo and don't notice what's in the background? Then, it's, 'Oh my gosh, look what's going on back there,'" she told the newspaper.
Most students have returned the memory books for editing, the Los Angeles Times reported. However, detectives were contacting students who haven't turned in yearbooks with a warning they could face a charge of possessing child porn, the AP reported.
Big Bear High School is located at 351 Maple Lane in Big Bear City, about 110 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
