Maryland Sexting Case Calls for Police, and Societal, Examination

Police investigators in Bethesda, Maryland are currently looking into a widespread sexting scandal at a local middle school, and, as the Washington Post reports, say they've traced it back to one entrepreneurial student. According to the Montgomery County Police, a student at Pyle Middle School was recently caught passing around his iPod touch to all his friends, and charging them for the chance to look at provocative photos of female classmates stored on the device.

Although it's unclear exactly how much money was exchanged in the operation, it is clear that the student had somehow managed to collect a pretty massive collection of salacious photos. The anonymous photographer apparently convinced a lot of girls to voluntarily pose for the photos off school grounds, and outside of school hours. He then passed them around to all his friends for at least a few months, investigators say.

Melinda Henneberger, whose children attend Pyle Middle School, wrote a circumspect article in Politics Daily, in which she both defends the school's record and its student body. ("I'm not sure this is as much about exhibitionism as about access to technology our kids are just not ready for.") At the same time, she made sure to commend Principal Michael Zarchin's decision to involve the police in the investigation. Perhaps the most chillingly insightful part of her analysis, though, is her discussion of the long-term effects of sexting, and the potential victims that are so often left out of our dialogue. She asks: "Will the sexting generation be too worried about what might or might not be out there on the Internet to run for office? No matter how common this sort of self-inflicted humiliation becomes, this is young women we're talking about, and I'm sorry to say I have a hard time envisioning the day that voters won't care."

It seems too often that any dialogue about sexting reverts to the same ideological or moralistic discussions, without so much as a mention of who might actually bear the brunt of the behavior. Instead of talking about the people in the photos, we focus primarily on how or why it was taken. It may simply be a case of hormonal teens colliding with new technology; but that doesn't mean that it's benign. [From: The Washington Post, via: PoliticsDaily] SOURCE: Switched

Former Md. trooper found not guilty of 3 sex offense charges

A Montgomery County jury Monday acquitted former Maryland State Trooper Marlon Iglesias of three sex offense charges related to a woman handcuffed after a DUI stop but found the trooper guilty of a charge of misconduct in office. Charges against the trooper hinged primarily on the word of the alleged victim, who nearly a year after the traffic stop told authorities Iglesias has inappropriately touched and fondled her after she'd been pulled over on Interstate 270, handcuffed and taken to a nearby station. But during testimony, the alleged victim's record for honesty was cast in doubt.

At the trial, the alleged victim testified that Iglesias handcuffed her and placed her in the front seat of his police car. She said that on the way to the station, he touched her thigh. She alleged that after she'd gotten to the station, he touched or fondled her at least two more times. And as he was letting her go from the station, she said, he also kissed her. The jury deliberated for about four hours Friday. Jurors came back Monday morning and deliberated for nearly an hour. The split verdict may have reflected jurors' thinking that something untoward happened after the stop but not enough to deliver a more serious finding. SOURCE: Washington Post

'Sexting' scandal at 2 Montgomery County schools

WASHINGTON - WTOP has learned Montgomery County Police are conducting an investigation into sexually explicit photos and videos of female students that have been distributed and sold among the student body at two Montgomery County Public Schools. In a letter obtained by WTOP, an iPod Touch with photos and videos of female students was confiscated by school staff from a student at Thomas Pyle Middle School.

"As soon as it was discovered, we took action," says Montgomery County Schools spokesperson Dana Tofig

During the school's investigation, students reported that the female students - who attend Pyle and Walt Whitman High School - willingly posed for the pictures outside of school and sent them to other students. In some cases, students sold and purchased access to the inappropriate photos. School administrators have contacted parents of the females in the images and those students who purchased or sold access to the images. Tofig says administrators reached out to police after the images were discovered. There is no indication that school computers were used to view, send or receive the photos. SOURCE: WTOP

Sign ordinance targets pregnancy centers

Rockville, MD (LifeNews.com) -- Montgomery County officials in Maryland have given their final approval to a new county ordinance that targets pregnancy centers located in this suburban area of both Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The new rules come after the city of Baltimore approved their own ordinance attacking such centers. Montgomery County Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg is behind the new legislation there, which received a 7-2 vote from the county.

They would be required to tell potential clients that they should go elsewhere for medical advice because Trachtenberg claims they are misleading women. The new law makes it so pregnancy centers must post a disclaimer if they don't have medical professionals on staff and would refer them to a center with licensed medical professionals.

"It's pretty much just a consumer protection measure more than anything else," Trachtenberg said, according to the Examiner newspaper earlier. "We're not saying they can't seek clients and they can't counsel them."

John Naughton, a local pro-life advocate, emailed LifeNews.com about the vote. He said the resolution would "dramatically impair the operations of the four county pregnancy centers which have offered free services to approximately 195,000 women for a combined total of 108 years without complaint."

During the hearing, he said the pregnancy centers "were publicly castigated as 'misleading and misinforming' the poor pregnant women who seek their help, for advising that abortion risks future fertility, breast cancer and psychological trauma, which it does."

"At a public hearing, the Council was advised the resolution violated the constitutional rights of pregnancy center personnel. It was gutted and approved 7-2 on February 2. Members Andrews and Knapp voted against it; Andrews commented that it was unnecessary," he said.

SOURCE: http://www.lifenews.com/state4787.html

Bethesda not zoned for sex parties?!?

Oh, it's good to get a laugh from the news. I just read Paul Duggan's story about sex parties in a Bethesda neighborhood that are causing a stir. These are apparently pretty edgy sex parties, (and, really, aren't they all?) being hosted by one resident at his home. And who stepped in to put a halt to them? A guy from the zoning department!

Police said they couldn't do anything about the parties, but zoning Inspector Frank De Lange handed the host, Paul Pickthorne, a written warning that he could be fined for operating a commercial establishment, because Pickthorne accepted donations from his guests. The county can't really dictate what types of party games one plays in one's own home, but accepting cash at the door is a no-no in a residential neighborhood.

It's like busting Al Capone for not paying his taxes.

Now, a house party can tax the patience of any neighborhood, especially when dozens of people show up, like at these Bethesda soirees. Guests monopolize parking. They can be noisy. It's a disruption. But these very special parties must cause a whole 'nother level of neighborhood distraction. If Pickthorne were my neighbor you can bet I'd be glued to the window, wondering if I recognize any of his guests. (No doubt neighborhood kids are full of questions.) What would I say to old Paul if we hauled our recycling bins to the curb at the same time? "So, who do you like in the Super Bowl, Paul?"

I laugh as the mind wanders, but I'm grateful this is not happening in my neighborhood. At least, if it is, it hasn't been disruptive enough to catch my attention. Maybe that's the message for Mr. Entertainment in Bethesda: If your party is big enough to disturb the neighbors, you need to invite them. Otherwise, maybe you oughta stick to the old-fashioned definition of an intimate party.

SOURCE: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-address/2010/02/sex_parties_bethesda_is_not_zo.html