VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – An Ocean Lakes High School student has been arrested for allegedly distributing child pornography of his female classmates.
According to court documents, the student had photos of at least eight female students on his cell phone.
"Eight? That's crazy," said Ocean Lakes junior Spencer Ransom. "Normally it is maybe one or something like that, because this is high school. Everybody's got something to talk about. But that is too much. That sounds like you could get in a lot of trouble for that."
Court documents show the investigation began in December 2015. The documents say the student allegedly admitted having nude photos of his classmates on his phone.
The photos were hidden in a mobile app disguised as a calculator.
Ransom says he remembers a crack down on cell phones at the school around the same time the investigation began.
"People's phones were being taken to look through them, and all that, for something about private photos being leaked out by other people," Ransom told News 3's Merris Badcock.
Parents of some Ocean Lakes students say they had no idea about the arrest.
"I've heard rumors of that happening in schools, but I wasn't aware of exactly what school," said James White, a parent to a high school junior at Ocean Lakes.
White says, despite the controversy, he will still let his son attend Ocean Lakes.
"I think the training starts at home," White said. "Parents should do their part and educate their children on the proper ways of using social media."
According to the Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, the teen arrested is 18 years old, but since he was a juvenile at the time of the offense, he is being charged as a minor.
Identities of those facing juvenile charges are not released to the public.
The teen was released on a $2,500 bond, and is expected back in court on November 28.
