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Police have charged a second Council Rock student with using AI technology to create deepfake nude images of female classmates earlier this year.
Newtown Township Police Capt. Jason Harris confirmed a second former Newtown Middle School student will face charges as a juvenile, and that authorities believe the investigation into the incident is now closed.
The name and other information about the juvenile was not released since the case will be tried in juvenile court, which legally limits the information that authorities are permitted to release.
But parents of some of the estimated dozen underage victims are upset over the handling of the investigation, which has left their daughters worried that more classmates are involved.
“That is the fear our girls live with every day,” one mother said.
The names of the parents interviewed are not being released because their children are minors and victims of a sex-related crime. The parents spoke out because they are frustrated with what they see as a lack of transparency from authorities and school officials.
The incident reportedly occurred in March. Photos of as many as 12 eighth-grade girls were used to create phony nude images, according to individuals familiar with the allegations.
A male classmate was charged as a juvenile earlier this year with creating the phony images; it is unknown where and when the images were made and if they were distributed, though parents were told they appeared on the social media app Snapchat.
The juvenile was found delinquent, the equivalent of guilty in adult court, in August of transmission of sexually explicit images by a minor, a misdemeanor, the parents said. He was sentenced to probation, according to the parents.
The parents of the victims obtained a no-contact order, and the school district moved the juvenile offender to Council Rock South High School, the parents said.
The parents interviewed said they were relieved that the juvenile was not in the same school as his victims, who are in counseling.
Then days before Thanksgiving, a victim advocate notified the parents that a second boy was going to be charged with creating the phony nude pictures.
The parents alleged they were not aware the investigation was continuing, and that authorities refused to provide them with the name of the second suspect after he was charged Nov. 24.
“The kid could be dating one of our kids,” one mother said.
Parents said they did not learn the name of the second suspect until Dec. 1.
The parents alleged they were told the case would go to the juvenile court before Christmas, but now they are told it could be as late as February.
The delay has upset parents since they are unable to get a no-contact order against the suspect unless he is found delinquent in juvenile court.
The suspect and the victims are freshmen at Council Rock North High School.
“Our daughters, who are victims of a sexual crime, have to walk in the hallways with him right now,” one mother said.
Parents said they are left wondering what else they don’t know about the case including how the images were made and if other copies exist.
“It’s been a never ending nightmare,” one mom said. “We honestly don’t have an end game.”
Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@gannett.com
