Tweets and texts involving nude photos of at least four underage girls in San Benardino County might lead to child pornography charges.
The case involves students at Etiwanda and Rancho Cucamonga high schools. The investigation began Wednesday morning after a teen boy who attends Etiwanda High School tweeted nude photos of the girls, who attend Rancho Cucamonga High School, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
The female students took the pictures of themselves and distributed them via text messages, according to investigators. The male student then posted the images on Twitter, according to authorities.
"People were just like, 'He really posted this stuff,'" said Adrian Cardenas, an Etiwanda High School student.
The male student was suspended, according to school officials. It was not immediately clear whether the boy obtained the images via text or some other method.
The students are 15 and 16 years old.
Charges had not been filed as of Thursday morning, but the students could face felony child pornography charges.
"Taking a self portrait, either nude or partially nude of yourself and forwarding it to someone else who then forwards to someone else -- everyone has equally committed that same crime," said Jodi Miller, public information officer for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
Federal law prohibits the "production, distribution, reception, and possession of an image of child pornography." The legal definition of sexually explicit conduct does not require that the image depict a minor engaging in sexual activity.
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