Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images
An outraged father posted on TikTok a conversation he had with a Columbus police officer who told her that her 11-year-old daughter could face charges for sending explicit photos of herself to an older man.
The interaction that occurred on September 15 between the father and two officers occurred after the man called the police to express his concern that an adult subject was requesting photos of his minor daughter.
Body camera footage obtained by The Associated Press showed the father angrily shut the door after one of the officers told him that Your daughter could face charges for producing or recording images of child sexual abuse despite being a victim.
Following the incident, Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said in a statement Tuesday night that The conduct of the officers is being investigated, as is any crime that may have been committed against the girl. He also stated that the department reached out to apologize to the father.
Police have not released the father’s name and the AP is not identifying victims of alleged sexual abuse or domestic violence.
Both security video and audio from edited body camera footage show officers speaking with the father outside his home after midnight.
He tells the officers that his daughter is already asleep and that he was hoping they could help him talk to her about the seriousness of the situation. The officer quickly tells her that her daughter could be charged with creating sexually explicit content.
The father protests and says that she is a girl who was manipulated by an adult, according to the police report and the father’s TikTok video. The officer asks if he was taking photographs and the father ends the conversation.
In the audio from the body camera footage, the officer can be heard stating again as she walks away from the house: “She is taking nude photos of herself. She is creating child pornography.”
In a preliminary incident report, the officer lists the possible charge under investigation as “pimping of sexually oriented material involving a minor” for creating or producing material, and cites a portion of Ohio law that prohibits the creation, recording or publication of child sexual abuse.
However, a separate part of the law that was not cited prohibits knowingly soliciting, receiving, purchasing, or possessing such material.
The police chief repeatedly referred to the 11-year-old girl as a victim of a crime in the statement. She said the officers’ conduct fell short of her expectations and that officers are “expected to treat every victim of crime with compassion, decency and dignity.”
The AP also obtained audio of the father’s police call and a dispatch log with notes from the responding officers.
According to the dispatch log, the father called 911 around 6:50 p.m. on September 14 and was told a female officer would be sent. He called again around 7:50 pm to say the response was taking too long. Officers showed up at the family’s home more than five hours later, after midnight on September 15.
The police report identifies the officers as Kelsie Schneider and Brian Weiner.
Officers’ notes in the log and in the incident report blame the father for ending the conversation before they could discuss possible outcomes, saying he became “immediately” upset.
Despite the police chief’s statement referring to the girl as a victim, Columbus police have not responded to questions about whether he could still face charges.
Police said the officers’ actions were referred to the Inspector General’s office and are under review.
One of the responding officers wrote in the incident report that he had contacted sexual assault section detectives, citing “the seriousness of the crime and lack of cooperation” and that they had advised him to “conduct a report.” of various incidents.”
Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Leader Sgt. Mike Weiner told WBNS-TV that parents who suspect their child has been the victim of an online predator should not be afraid to report it. to the police and do it as soon as possible.
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