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| Cormega Copening (left), 17, and his girlfriend, Brianna Denson (right), 16, both of Fayetteville, North Carolina, were charged as adults in February for sending 'sexually explicit' photos of themselves, when they were 16 to each other's cellphone |
A North Carolina high school quarterback is facing felony charges after allegedly exchanging nude photos with his girlfriend.
Cormega Copening, 17, and his girlfriend, Brianna Denson, 16, were charged as adults in February for sending 'sexually explicit' photos of minors - themselves, when they were 16 years old - to each other's cellphone.
Denson reached a plea deal in July, but Copening has a court appearance next month and if convicted, he will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
It is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to send or receive sexually explicit photos with a cell phone in North Carolina. A person can be charged with both sending and possessing photos.
The age of consent to have sex in North Carolina, however, is 16 years old, which means the couple could have sex with one another, but could not sent nude photos to one another.
Copening, who faces felony charges, is due in court next month
The charges stem from an incident dating back to October 2014, when Copening was a student at Douglas Byrd High School in Fayetteville. The teen transferred to Jack Britt High School
'In North Carolina you are considered an adult at 16 years old as far as being charged,' Sgt Sean Swain of the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department told Fox News. 'But to disseminate and receive sexually explicit texts, photos or videos, you must be over 18.'
Copening has been benched from his upcoming football game and is under investigation because both schools claim they were unaware of the charges until a couple weeks ago.
Officers said the sexting charges came about when police took Copening's phone while investigating another incident.
'We seized his phone and while our investigators went through the phone they saw there were photos of himself and another person on the phone,' Swain told WTVD.
Leon Mack, director of student activities for the Cumberland County Schools, released a statement about the incident.
'Both Douglas Byrd and Jack Britt high schools did not violate eligibility requirements, and that neither school was made aware of the felony charges against the student,' the statement read.
Copening was charged with two counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and three counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor after authorities found the nude images he and his girlfriend exchanged.
Each count is a felony charge that carries at least two years in jail.
The quarterback also faces the possibility of becoming a registered sex offender, which many experts say is unfair and the result of a poorly written law that declares its residents adults at 16 years old.
Denson took a plea deal on a misdemeanor charge of 'disseminating harmful material to minors' in July, according to Mic.
District Court Judge Stephen Stokes sentenced her to one year of probation, a $200 fine, a class on how to make smarter life decisions and no phone access during her probation period.
Denson reached a plea deal in July on a misdemeanor charge of 'disseminating harmful material to minors'
The couple appear to still be dating, despite the sexting charges they've gone through
Via - Daily mail
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