Juvenile sexting in Jefferson County, Colorado used to be a felony sex crime with extremely harsh consequences for minors. However, in 2018, Colorado passed a law that reduced those behaviors to a misdemeanor. Taking, sending, and receiving nude photos is still unlawful for juveniles throughout Colorado when consent from the person photographed doesn't occur. If your teenage son or daughter is being investigated for posting sexually explicit material, contact an experienced juvenile sexting attorney as soon as possible.

What is Posting a Private Image by a Juvenile in Colorado?

CRS 18-7-109 addresses posting a private image by a juvenile in the state of Colorado. This law states:

• “A juvenile commits the offense of posting a private image by a juvenile if he or she, through digital or electronic means:
  • knowingly distributes, displays, or publishes to the view of another person a sexually explicit image of a person other than himself or herself who is at least fourteen years of age or is less than four years younger than the juvenile:
    • without the depicted person's permission; or
    • when the recipient did not solicit or request to be supplied with the image and suffered emotional distress; or
    • when the juvenile knew or should have known that the depicted person had a reasonable expectation that the image would remain private; or
  • knowingly distributes, displays, or publishes, to the view of another person who is at least fourteen years of age or is less than four years younger than the juvenile, a sexually explicit image of himself or herself when the recipient did not solicit or request to be supplied with the image and suffered emotional distress.”

It is important to note that this law addresses both sending or posting images of another person and scenarios where a teen sends or posts images of themselves without being asked to do so.

How Serious is Posting a Private Image by a Juvenile?

Juvenile sexting that involves distributing or posting intimate images is typically a class 2 misdemeanor in Lakewood, Arvada, and Golden. However, there are three specific scenarios that increase the charge to a class 1 misdemeanor:

• the images cause emotional distress to another person,
• this isn't the juvenile's first sexting offense,
• or there were 3 or more images posted of 3 or more different people

Jefferson County Juvenile Sexting Attorney

An allegation of juvenile sexting may feel overwhelming for both your child and your family. Sometimes youth aren't quite sure what they're doing with their various devices or feel pressure from peers to send inappropriate material. Fortunately, the skilled defense lawyers at Sawyer Legal Group, LLC have decades of experience representing juveniles facing sex crime charges. Whether you've been contacted by your child's school or local law enforcement, exercise your right to remain silent. Contact our office for a free initial consultation. We will carefully look over your teen's sexting case and suggest next steps in his or her defense.

If your child or other youth in your community are facing charges of juvenile sexting, be smart. Contact the strategic defense attorneys at Sawyer Legal Group, LLC at 303-830-0880. Together, we can protect your future.

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