A Port Washington High School student could spend up to 3 years in prison for allegedly taking a video of a naked teen inside a locker room and then sending it to his classmates.
Tanner Meinel, 17, is charged with one felony count of "capturing an image of nudity in a locker room."
"Kids can videotape anything at any time and it really is a problem," parent Liz Decker said.
Decker has a daughter at the school and was shocked to hear about the incident.
According to the criminal complaint obtained by TODAY'S TMJ4, the video was taken in the locker room of the school when someone tossed the victim's underwear on top of a speaker box. While the victim was trying to get his underwear down, prosecutors say Meinel recorded the teen.
Meinel then sent the video to classmates via Snapchat.
"Teenagers don't always use the best judgement," parent Jared Levisen said. “There’s definitely not enough restraint when it comes to social media. I think that’s part of the education that needs to happen when kids use social media.”
When questioned, Meinel admitted taking the video, according to the criminal complaint.
An individual at Meinel's house had no comment on the incident.
Parents like Decker believe criminal charges are appropriate.
“High school kids should know better at this point," Decker said. "It’s not new technology and they know what they are doing."
The assistant principal at the school told TODAY'S TMJ4 over the phone that Meinel is still a student and has faced disciplinary action for recording the video.
As part of the school's policy, staff is required to report these types of incidents to authorities.
Meinel has an initial court appearance on February 7.
