Report: West Springfield Students Pleading 'Not Guilty' to Child Porn Charges
Lawyers for teen boys from West Springfield tell Washington Post their clients have pleaded not guilty.
The teenage boys from West Springfield High School charged with child pornography have pleaded not guilty to the charges, their lawyers tell The Washington Post.
The boys, one age 15 and two age 16, were charged Jan. 11 by Fairfax County Police after a tip to a school security officer in November led to an investigation.
The boys reportedly videotaped six girls from West Springfield High School as well as Robinson Secondary School and Lake Braddock Secondary School, according to the Post story.
"It's an unfortunate mix of teenage libido, alcohol and video. It's nothing more than that," Rodney Leffler, one of the boy's attorneys, told the newspaper.
On Monday, West Springfield's principal sent an email to parents:
Letter sent to West Springfield High School parents:
Dear WSHS Parents & Guardians,
Many of you may have heard through various news reports over the weekend that several West Springfield High School students were arrested here at school on January 11 in connection with their involvement in a child exploitation case. As this is an ongoing police investigation, we are directing all questions about the arrests to Fairfax County Police. I want to be very clear that while arrests were made here at school the students did not engage in any of these alleged behaviors at school or during school hours. The charges that are pending all revolve around alleged inappropriate activity that occurred outside of school over an extended period of time.
The allegations were first brought to the attention of School Resource Officer Plazio in November and the police investigation was subsequently launched. Our task is to maintain business as usual at WSHS. We are here to care for and educate all our students. I want to express my regrets that our school was dragged into this story. The reports clearly do not reflect the positive learning environment that students, parents and staff have created at our school. Thank you for your continued support of WSHS.
Respectfully,
Mark Greenfelder, Principal
Fairfax County School Board member Elizabeth Schultz took issue with the students being arrested at school, telling FOX 5: "The public school can't be used as an extension of the criminal justice system."
In This article
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West Springfield High School
6100 Rolling Rd, Springfield, VA -
Robinson Secondary School
5035 Sideburn Rd, Fairfax, VA -
Lake Braddock Secondary School
9200 Burke Lake Rd, Burke, VA -
FRAnk aqn
7:37 pm on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
BOYS WILL BE BOYS. CAN YOU PLESEEE STOP TALKING ABOUT THIS.
T-Bird
10:35 am on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Sure, we'll just look the other way while you rape our daughters. Don't you have homework to do?
EKA
12:56 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Boys will be boys? Do you realize what you're saying? Are boys rapists and child pornographers?
T-Bird
1:56 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013
By the Way Frank, I can guarantee that the guards will not "talk about it" when the same happens to you and your friends in prison. Squeal little piggy!
Andrea Palermo
1:24 pm on Tuesday, February 19, 2013
It's an unfortunate mix of teenage libido, alcohol and video. It's nothing more than that," Rodney Leffler, one of the boy's attorneys, told the newspaper.
It's under-age drinking! It's pornography! "It's nothing more than that." What a scary comment about our society and the way some males are raised.
CW Burke
6:48 pm on Monday, April 1, 2013
Fairfax County School Board member Elizabeth Schultz took issue with the students being arrested at school, telling FOX 5: "The public school can't be used as an extension of the criminal justice system."
That's a joke! Elizabeth Schultz, that horse has left the barn! As long as your school system insists on having cops in each high school, you're going to have kids and their parents harassed and arrested. Forget their due process rights, forget their rights to privacy, forget the parents' rights to express concern for their child's abusive treatment by a teacher. With those cops there, you'd better believe there will be a significant increase in "criminal justice involvement." Those cops are not there to protect our children! No way two cops could protect 4,000 plus students like at Robinson. No-- they're there to be used by the staff and principals to run their schools whatever way they see fit, including arresting parents for no good reason whatsoever! That's frightening. Especially when you consider that these jokers who run these schools have almost no real oversight--they get away with unbelievable things, and are arrogant while doing it! Especially Robinson, with its subschool structure. What a nightmare that place is. Even senior level teachers at other high schools are shocked by how they run that place.