Explicit photo of Cobb County teen shared among classmates, mother calls for accountability
COBB COUNTY, Ga. - A Cobb County mother is continuing her push for accountability after she says that a sexually explicit photo her daughter sent to a classmate was shared among other students in her grade.
"She's a bright girl, smart girl, beautiful girl, and she definitely doesn't deserve this," Alberta Poole, the victim's mother, said.
"I had a talk with her myself because this is not something she does," she added.
Poole said it all started in April when her 13-year-old daughter sent an explicit photo of herself to a boy in her eighth-grade class at Floyd Middle School.
"She said the boy kept asking her to send it and trusting him she sent it," she explained.
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Alberta Poole says she wants justice for her 13-year-old daughter after an explicit image ends up being shared by her fellow Cobb County classmates. (FOX 5)
She claims that the student then sent the image to classmates.
"It ended up being on half of the Google Chat with over half of the eighth graders," she added.
The mother opened a case with Cobb County police, but as of right now, officers say the case is not actively being investigated.
"Should we receive any additional information or anything like that that would be beneficial to the case, of course, our detectives will look into it, so it's not closed," Officer Shenise Barner with the Cobb County Police Department explained.
The Cobb County School District released a statement:
"We cannot comment on ongoing legal matters, but after becoming aware of inappropriate communication between two students, school administration and Cobb Schools police immediately opened an investigation. We are confident that District policy and state law, including discipline and mandated reporting, were followed."
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Legal experts say teens who send explicit images of someone under the age of 18 could possibly be charged with the sexual exploitation of children.
"They are seldom prosecuted if it's just friends swapping with each other. When they do get prosecuted, it is when that photograph that no one else is meant to see is either put on social media or distributed to others," former DeKalb County District Attorney J. Tom Morgan said.
"You've really done damage to the victim in that case," he added.
"Poole said that although no charges have been filed in her daughter's case, she wants action to be taken.
"I would like to see some form of justice within the school, some form of real apology," Poole said.
"They need to understand this is serious," she added.
FOX 5 also reached out to the Cobb County District Attorney's office to inquire whether they intend to file any charges but was told that because the case involves juveniles, they could not provide any details.