18-year-old high school senior who secretly filmed sex with 14-year-old girl to be registered as sex offender for 25 years
A high school senior from Ohio, who secretly filmed himself having sex with a 14-year-old girl, will reportedly have to register as a sex offender for the next 25 years. Reports state that the 18-year-old recorded the incident and sent it to his classmates.
The suspect, identified as Jeremiah Horton, was sentenced at the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court in Cincinnati on Thursday after he pleaded guilty last month to a felony child pornography charge, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The teen, in addition to being registered as a Tier 2 sex offender, was also sentenced to six months at the River City Correctional Center. The institution works as an alternative to prison and focuses on rehabilitation of non-violent offenders.
According to the prosecutors, the incident occurred in September last year, just less than a month after Horton turned 18. He reportedly taped the incident through a hidden camera in a room where the pair engaged in sexual activity.
The incident came to light after the victim's mother became aware of the video and alerted the police about the incident. Horton was arrested immediately.
Reports state that two boys and a girl at Horton's school eventually shared the video to other students through Snapchat and group text messages. Those three were also prosecuted as juveniles and were sentenced to probation with multiple requirements.
A court officer at Horton's plea hearing last month said that the victim and her family agreed with the plea and the recommended sentence given to the teen, WKRC-TV reported.
Horton, who was a senior and played on the football team, was reportedly expelled from North College Hill High School. His attorney, Carl Lews, said that the entire incident was a "youthful discretion," adding that he doubted that anyone would ever see him again in the criminal justice system.