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State to Pursue Child Porn Charges Against Teen Accused of Sexting

1:10 P.M. — The state attorney's office is pushing ahead with a charge against a Cape Coral teenager who was arrested after allegedly sexting, or sending nude photos of herself.

Authorities say they found pornographic images of her on her phone, computer and MySpace page, reports said. Paige Wellman was arrested Aug. 5.

Wellman and her mother, Stacey, appeared before Judge Bruce Kyle on Tuesday in juvenile court in Fort Myers.

Paige Wellman entered a not guilty plea.

The state is charging Wellman with a count of possession of child pornography, said Samantha Syoen, state attorney's office spokeswoman.

Evidence showed this was an appropriate charge because she didn't have photos of other children, Syoen said.

"She wasn't promoting anyone other than having photos of herself," she said.

Earlier this month, the state attorney's office declined to pursue charges in the case of a 14-year-old North Fort Myers girl arrested on similar charges after evidence showed she was a victim of a crime.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement only requires a juvenile register as a sex offender if he or she is charged and convicted of such charges as an adult.

Paige Wellman turned 18 on Saturday, according to Lee sheriff's records. Syoen said the case will proceed as a juvenile case and the Department of Juvenile Justice would determine any punishment. Paige Wellman has a Sept. 22 hearing in which both sides will come together to provide a case update.

Wellman and her mother refused to speak with The News-Press. Stacey Wellman, who was visibly upset after the state announced it was moving forward, said the newspaper coverage had disrupted her daughter's life more than the court case.

URL: http://www.news-press.com/article/20...sed-of-sexting

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Posted in: News on September 9, 2010 @ 3:40 PM

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