Scott W. Reed was indicted on 15 counts of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles after being accused of sending photos of his genitals through the Snapchat messaging app to two girls, ages 12 and 13, according to a statement of facts filed in municipal court.
According to the indictment, the offenses in the case are said to have happened from July through November in 2018.
Investigators said he tried to get one of the girls to engage in sexual activity, documents show.
It is unusual for police to recover photos as evidence when they are sent through Snapchat. The app is designed so images are available for a short time before they become inaccessible to their recipients.
“It’s rare that that actually happens because the idea behind Snapchat, is applications that have the self-destructing component to it, is they disappear,” internet attorney Andrew Rossow said. “In this case, their servers were able to, to a certain extent, provide documentation of it, and I think it’s just the right time, right moment kind of thing.”
That helped Centerville police identify Reed as a suspect, along with other computer records, documents show.
Reed, who is not in custody, is summoned to appear in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.
We’ll update this story with any new details that emerge from today’s arraignment.
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