Posting a private image by a juvenile is a sexting offense that can negatively impact many minors in the Denver area. Sending or posting sexually explicit images of friends and peers using a smartphone, tablet, or computer comes with significant consequences. A lot depends on the age difference between the juvenile defendant and the alleged victim, as well as the amount of images involved.

Connect with a skilled juvenile defense attorney if your child or someone you know is facing an accusation of posting a private image. Below we discuss this sexting crime in further detail and how we can help your son or daughter.

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

Colorado's juvenile sexting laws prohibit minors from electronically distributing certain explicit images. CRS 18-7-109 defines this offense throughout Colorado. Someone under the age of 18 commits this crime in Denver, Cherry Creek, or Montbello if they:

• knowingly distribute, display, or publish,
• a sexually explicit image through digital or electronic means,
• of another who is over the age of 13 or less than 4 years younger than the juvenile,
  • without their permission,
  • if the recipient didn't ask for the image and suffered emotional distress,
  • or if the alleged victim expected the image to remain private

Teenagers can also face this charge for sending explicit images of themselves to others who didn't ask for the pictures. If receiving the images causes emotional distress and the same age parameters exist as above, charges can follow.

How Bad is Posting a Private Image by a Juvenile in Denver?

Each juvenile sexting case is different. Defendants don't always experience the same consequences for adjudication. Posting a private image by a juvenile is at minimum a class 2 misdemeanor. However, specific elements can increase the offense to a class 1 misdemeanor. Those include:

• the intent to coerce, intimidate, threaten, or cause emotional distress to the depicted person,
• the minor has a previous adjudication for posting a private image,
• or three or more images that depicted three or more individuals were sent or posted

Denver's Best Juvenile Defense Attorney

Just because your son or daughter is facing a criminal allegation doesn't mean they're guilty. It is important that they have skilled representation by their side when contacted by police and in court.

We have decades of experience successfully defending minors against a wide range of charges. Perhaps your child didn't send or post the images, a friend was using their phone, or a false accusation is occurring. Nevertheless, contact our office for a free, confidential consultation with Denver's best juvenile defense attorneys. We will carefully look over your child's case, as well as suggest next steps in their defense. Our affordable fees and flexible payment plans make obtaining a skilled lawyer possible in these uncertain times.

Don't talk to police or school administrators about juvenile sexting allegations - talk to us. 303-830-0880

Photo by Julie Ricard