Westminster police officer fired over sexting incident www.privateofficer.com
According to Westminster Police, the video was recorded while a group of Standley Lake High School students involved with the baseball team headed from Westminster to Fort Collins for a game.
In the car, a female student performed a sex act on the driver and another boy in the car recorded it on his cellphone.
He later shared that video with someone else. That person did the same, and so on. 9NEWS has learned that the video is still being sent around.
The student who made the video is facing charges for producing and sharing child pornography.
Westminster Police got involved after the school resource officer found out and called the department.
A detective was assigned to the case on March 20.
What happened beyond that point in the investigation prompted a personnel investigation and an officer to be fired.
“There was a detective who was hired by the City of Westminster in 2007 and as of April 4 that employee is no longer employed by the City of Westminster,” Westminster Police spokesman Trevor Materasso said. “We are not able to detail what the detectives involved in the case were doing that initiated this personnel investigation.”
The Standley Lake students involved in the sexting incident are part of a case that has been filed with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office.
There has not been a decision made about what charges they may face.
Westminster Police say students apparently do not understand the criminal implications of sexting.
“The student doesn’t have to be the one to actually take the picture or the video. The student doesn’t have to be the one performing in one of those sexually graphic poses or pictures. By just viewing it or having it on their cellphone, by passing it along to a fellow friend or fellow student, they are potentially committing a felony,” Materasso said.
He says they could also be classified as a sex offender for the rest of their lives.
Westminster Police would not release the name of the officer who was fired or anyone else involved in the investigation regarding how the case was handled.
Jefferson County Schools told 9NEWS, “This is an unfortunate situation and we continue to educate our students about the terrible consequences of sexting.”
Jeffco Schools says they gave the kids “the appropriate discipline,” but wouldn’t elaborate.
The boy in the car who took the video has been suspended from playing on the baseball team.
Source:9news.com
