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AMERICAN FORK — A 13-year-old boy who allegedly took a picture of a classmate changing in a locker room at American Fork Junior High School and then sent the picture out over social media has been referred to juvenile court.
Police say the boy likely intended for the picture to be a prank, and even took it down 30 minutes after posting it.
But the boy is now facing criminal charges. And police say it's a good reminder to juveniles that they need to think about long-term consequences for their actions on social media because they will be held responsible.
Police were called to the school on Feb. 15 after it was reported that a 13-year-old boy had posted a picture to his Snapchat "story" page, according to a search warrant affidavit recently unsealed in 4th District Court.
"At the time of the notification 10 'friends' of (the boy) had viewed the image on Snapchat," the affidavit states. "The image was of a nude male student in the locker room at the American Fork Junior High School. … The photo was taken from a distance so the victim's entire body is in the photograph. The victim appeared to be washing his hair at the time and the victim's face cannot be seen."
The victim was identified as a 14-year-old boy. According to a school administrator interviewed by police who was made aware of the photo, he "believes the victim was unaware the photograph was taken and posted to Snapchat," the warrant states.
The boy who allegedly took the photo "estimated the image was on Snapchat for 30 minutes before he changed his mind and deleted the image," according to the affidavit.
The case was screened for charges in juvenile court, according to police. Because of the boy's age, the court records are protected.
"As soon as the school administration became aware of the situation, the local police department was contacted," Alpine School District spokesman David Stephenson said in a prepared statement. "They investigated and appropriate action was taken by them and later by the school."
