More Sexters Facing Jail Time—Now in North Carolina

BURLINGTON, N.C.—If there's one lesson Ezra Brent will likely learn from his most recent encounter with the local police, it's to watch what photos and videos he saves on his cellphone. Brent was arrested on Friday and charged with "preparing obscenity for dissemination," "resisting and obstructing an investigation" ... and "felony assault on a law enforcement officer," a hearkening back to Brent's first arrest on March 12 after he allegedly burglarized a home and tried to ditch deputies during a police chase. But when the cops looked through Brent's belongings, they found that the 17-year-old's cellphone had sexually explicit photos of a 16-year-old girl, which were allegedly taken by the girl's 20-year-old boyfriend, Jordan Pickard—and Pickard himself turned out to have "obscene" video footage of himself and the girl on his own cellphone. But according to a report in the Burlington Times-News, it was only after an investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children task force and consultation with the local district attorney's office that the trio were arrested—and while the sexual material was not so much "obscene" as it was "child porn," some jurisdictions don't make such a distinction. "You cannot legally videotape yourself in a sex act under 18," stated Randy Jones, the sheriff's office public information officer. And while it's unclear how the police knew the photos and video were intended for "dissemination," there's no doubt that the two minors will be facing serious prison time for what in some areas amounts to "Doin' what comes natcherly."