Two high school students in Florida were arrested today following an investigation into an alleged sex act that took place in the school's library last week, which was filmed by a student and shared with classmates.
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office reports that two teens — a 17-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl — had sex in the media center of Fivay High School's library around noon on Monday, March 11th.
Another student, a 15-year-old boy, spotted the two students having sex and pulled out his Samsung Galaxy smartphone to record the encounter.
The boy then forwarded the footage on to another student, who may have shared it with others.
Police today arrested the 17-year-old on a charge of lewd or lascivious battery. The 15-year-old girl told officers the sex was consensual, but police say her age still makes the act a crime under Florida law. Neither was aware of the recording.
The 15-year-old boy was also arrested on a charge of creating and transmitting child pornography.
According to police, anyone in possession of the film would also be subject to arrest.
"Having this thing go viral would have been horrendous, because what we are doing," Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco told ABC Action News. "Being proactive, we are going to send a message to anybody involved who committed a criminal act, they are going to be arrested."
Fivay, which opened just three years ago, has come under fire in recent months for a string of incidents that have reflected negatively on the school.
Another student was recently arrested for bringing knives to school, which he claimed were for protection. In December of last year, a 16-year-old from the school took her own life as a result of intense cyberbulling.
A third of all students and faculty members surveyed say the school does not foster a positive learning environment.
"I don't feel safe here with everything that's happened," ninth-grader Kaylee Ashton told WTSP. "Suicide, knives, sex in the media center... what's next?"
[screengrab via WTSP]