Pocono News Section

Court Ruling Closes Wyoming County Sexting Case

Court Ruling Closes Wyoming County Sexting Case - Friday, April 30, 2010 at 04:09AM EST

Reported by: Eric Deabill
Friday April 30 2010
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TUNKHANNOCK, WYOMING COUNTY - A federal court judge issued an order Friday afternoon which virtually closes the Wyoming County sexting saga.

The judge said prosecutors cannot file criminal charges against three girls involved in the controversy.

The 16-page document was filed by Judge James Munley.

The sexting issue has been a hot topic of conversation in Wyoming County since news broke in October 2008.

The order from the judge permanently bars the Wyoming County District Attorney's office from filing any charges against the students who are from the Tunkhannock Area School District.

Last month, a higher court said the same thing.

Three girls were involved in a bigger sexting investigation that came to light when former District Attorney George Skumanick was in office.

Pictures of the girls were being sent around by cell phone but the three girls said they did not send any of the pictures.

The former DA threatened to file child pornography charges against the girls anyway because he said they posed "provocatively," which made them subject to the child porn charges.

The DA offered the girls a deal, to take an educational class on sexting, but they refused.

They got the ACLU, or American Civil Liberties Union, involved. They started to fight the situation.

Everyone involved in the case had a meeting Thursday and the new district attorney in Wyoming County, Jeff Mitchell, assured the judge there will be no charges against the girls now or anytime in the future.

There is one issue remaining: attorney fees.

Wyoming County could be on the hook for ACLU attorney's fee. The judge gave both sides 30 days to try and work out an agreement.