Maryland

Child Pornography Charge Upheld Against Maryland Teen Who Filmed Self

The court's majority opinion says the law makes no exception for minors who share lewd material of themselves

A court has ruled that a Maryland teen who sent a video of herself performing a sexual act has violated the state's child pornography law.

The Maryland Court of Appeals issued the 6-1 decision Wednesday in Annapolis, news outlets report. Court documents say the then-16-year-old, only identified by her initials, texted the video to two teenage friends in Oct. 2016.

The two teens showed the video to a school resource officer, from the Charles County Sheriff's Office, a few months later, after the group "fell off as friends."

The court's majority opinion says the law makes no exception for minors who share lewd material of themselves.

Judge Michele D. Hotten was the lone dissenter. She wrote that the law was intended to protect children from exploitation, and the teen was not being exploited in this case.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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